OMWF: Lunar Findings
by SherahSharada
Summary: Second series in the OMWF Trilogy. Every story has two sides. Good and Evil. It's time Darkness got its turn. The legend of the dark Prince Drake breaks into the spotlight. Chapter 5, 6, and 7 are up today!
1. Prologue

**Welcome to the second series in the ****OMWF Trilogy****! Before reading this story, I highly suggest, beg, plead, force and demand that you read the fist story in the trilogy, **_**Once More With Feeling**_**. There is a link to it in my profile and it's 100% complete, so no waiting! Whereas this story will only be updated once or twice a week… (I update more if there are reviews, teehee)**

**I know that, now that you are already here, many of you will be tempted to just read this story instead of going to read **_**Once More With Feeling**_** first, but that would honestly be a mistake as this story won't make a lick of sense, since it is, at first, primarily an OC story! It is about Prince Drake, who is introduced in **_**Once More With Feeling**_**. And is… such the bad guy… Love him. **

**I assure you, this is a Final Fantasy IX fanfiction! It's just a bit hard to tell right now since it starts out with my OC… So go read **_**Once More With Feeling**_**! Then come back and read this and it'll make sense as to what is going on!**

**Once this story is done, I'll be working on the third story in the Trilogy! Once this story is done being posted, I hope to have at least close to half of the last story done so I can begin posting it.**

**With no further delay, on with the fic!**

**Prologue**

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It had been so long… So long ago that** he** had first stepped on stage, threw off the cloak and declared, in front of all those people, that his one wish was for his beloved Dagger to come to him.

It had been so perfect… and the irony of those words… "Could she have betrayed me?"

… Then it happened. He had his friends, he had his girl, he thought he had the perfect, fairytale ending… Life isn't that fair. Not even for a hero.

Then he heard "Princess."

… Why would Dagger still be called Princess? When she should have been…

Because Brahne was alive. No one seemed to mind, except Zidane. They all had seemed to be used to the idea, and said he would, too, once he had been back long enough. They said the woman had reverted to the woman she had been before her husband died. The kind woman who loved her daughter and kingdom more than life itself, who insisted Zidane be allowed to live at the palace rather than go back to living like a thief.

At the palace… where she could keep an eye on him. Where he was close enough she could decide his fate. While Zidane was away, and a short while after Brahne woke, they discovered a few orbs in the Invincible that Brahne remembered Kuja talking about… orbs that told of a mystical power that Terra had locked away for one of their Angels of Death to use. The Secrets of Terra was said to be the ultimate power of holy and dark! Anyone who had the power could rule the world, or so the orbs declared. Brahne wanted it. She wanted it open and she would do whatever it took to get it; including the aid of some new, demonic allies.

Zidane saw it. This was supposed to be the end of the story. Where he got the girl, they got married, she ruled as Queen and he would be a prince… they would get to be together and everything would work out fine.

Then he found out… that it wasn't as simple as all that. A princess in her position and standing could not just marry anyone she liked… With the Queen alive, Garnet went back to the same status she had been since she was six years old; the same thing all princesses were unless there was no hope of another heir.

A bartering chip.

The World Rulers were involved in a knife's edge alliance, and they didn't trust Zidane's involvement with Terra thanks to Brahne's influences, and a Red Pearl she had obtained from Kuja, which had mind control abilities. The rulers didn't want Zidane with Garnet. Not when there was a "better choice."

Prince Drake of Daguerreo was just a few months younger than Garnet. He was wealthy, well educated, handsome, athletic, and from a continent that was deemed neutral and safe. Daguerreo has a lot of allies that would defend it as the knowledge it held was exceptional; exceeding any other library on the planet!

Zidane didn't remember exploring or even having any interest in Daguerreo other than the public library… They were there for weapons and a few items, a card, and that was pretty much it. He wished he'd explored it more at the time, he would have had better warning.

Drake seems like a nice enough guy, at first, but he's after Zidane's princess and there's no excusing that.

At first, Zidane assumes that Garnet is all Drake is after. He soon learns that the odd and often deadly occurrences he keeps finding himself in are partially Drake's doing, and learns all about what a Fire Elemental is capable of.

... His fairytale turns into a horror novel as his friends are forced to turn on him, and even his beloved Garnet turns her back on him.

"Could she have betrayed me…"

It was just a line. One simply line in a play! It wasn't supposed to be a real question… yet it had become one.

How could things go from so perfect, to so perfectly messed up in such a short amount of time? How is it he could have it all and lose it because of Brahne, again?

That wasn't a fair question, though. Brahne thought she was the Queen, but once again, she was nothing more than a pawn. It was almost amusing… how often she referred to the genomes as brainless puppets when she herself wasn't in control of her own strings.

The Prince and his Advisor toyed with her like cats, and the rest of the populace were just mice waiting to be devoured. The strong control the weak, unless the weak fight back… but even then, they have to overpower the strong.

… Every story has two sides.

This is his. _OMWF Lunar Finding_, the story of the Dark Prince.

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**Thanks for reading! Please review! If you have a fanfic, too, please join my forum, link in profile, to share it with people! Can even win artwork, rpg, and more!**


	2. Chapter 1 Penumbra

**Hello, my wonderful readers! Thank you, ****LightWingDragon**** and ****Kamaitachi**** for your reviews! They were really great!**

**Kamaitachi, I see you write FFIX fanfictions! I hope other people check out your stories! LightWingDragon, I see you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer! I do, too!**

**Chapter 1: **_**Penumbra. Yes I Am An Agent of Satan, but My Duties Are Largely Ceremonial.**_

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Chaucer and Marina were waiting... waiting for the help they needed.

Marina was pregnant with a child whose amazing powers were already showing. Chaucer, as a former Cleric, was easily able to see this. The psychics had, the midwife, and the many mages all said the same thing.  
This baby was going to be strong.  
The royals needed help.  
Though their Kingdom revolved mainly around a scholar's paradise, many problems arose. Regent Chaucer was always busy, and Marina was worried about trying to raise such a metaphysically strong child on her own...

They had heard of an island. A very small, very remote, very ignored island. The only inhabitants were a race called the Occultations. They were supposedly very strong when it came to magick, so Chaucer had sent word out that his wife and he were in search of aid.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, Marina." Chaucer assured his wife, hoping he was right.

"I know... I worry, I guess. I mean, are we so sure we cannot handle things on our own?" Marina wondered.

"Of course we can. But we want what's best for our child. These visitors may come and decide they aren't of any use or need at all, or it might be decided that they are. For the first few years, till we are sure of the baby's powers, it's safest for the child if we have someone familiar with Elementals around." Chaucer said, repeating the same thing they had been talking about for months now— and they were simply out of time.

"Alright... If this _aid_ is gone before our baby turns three… they won't be remembered anyway," Marina noted.

Chaucer nodded, "Exactly. Two or three years of insurance to be sure our child gets everything they need."

The two royal figures sat back; watching the door and waited for... they didn't know what.

* * *

Three figures approached the two large throne room doors, and the guards evidently recognized the man in the lead right away as without a word they began to open the heavy double-doors. The man they had recognized was the official envoy sent to the island.

To his left was a man dressed in a dark blue cloak with a large hood that hid his head and face quite well. To the messenger's right was a man of the exact same height and build, but wearing an emerald green cloak.

The doors were fully opened, and the official continued forward. The cloaked figures keeping a step behind him. They walked the long red carpet until they were only a few meters in front of the two thrones. At which point they halted, and the envoy bowed low and straightened up slowly.

"My Lord and my Queen, may I present Master Eclipse and Master Ellipsis. The Occultation representatives." The man said, while the two figures lowered their hoods revealing two pale, black-haired men that looked completely identical... After speaking, the envoy bowed again and then walked to a side of the room and stood at attention.

It was King Chaucer who spoke first, "Greetings. I hope you didn't have a terrible time getting here?"

Marina was looking at the two strangers, noticing how very identical they appeared. She decided that they must have the same clan, and that clan must all have similar appearances… or they were siblings… twins, perhaps? She had never seen even a pair of twins who looked that identical, though.

"We're not completely sure your voyage here will be necessary..." she admitted.

"However, it's in our nature to learn all that we can and to be cautious! Chaucer finished for her.

"Yes, our only real concern is—." As if on cue, the tremors began.

The ground below the queen's chair shook and glowed with red heat for a few seconds before fading away.

Chaucer waited for the disruption to cease before he explained, "... That."

Marina took a moment to catch her breath. "It's nothing, really... but the readers tell us my child will be magickally strong, possibly an Elemental, and my husband's abilities deal mainly with knowledge— research, translations; very few elemental abilities, and I myself have only healing magick, and that, of course, of the Water Dragon's Legacy. My aquatic abilities, though, do not seem to match an Elementals... we wanted to be sure we were prepared."

"I believe our child's powers are elemental… we're simply not used to that. While our palace is very elemental, we were not born with such gifts. We were told you would be able to tell?"

Eclipse and Ellipsis looked at each other and Ellipsis gave a single nod, Eclipse then stepped forward a single step. "My good lady…" he started, with an even and calm tone, "We were aware of this child's power before the boat even reached your shores. I lend credit to your readers, they are quite right to conclude that the child will have strong elemental magick abilities. We sense great and _**dangerous**_ power from this child."

Marina noticeably stiffened. "... Dangerous?"

Chaucer looked around as if hoping someone would appear to explain this to him. "Dangerous... how?"

Eclipse looked down for a moment as if hesitating. "Well, your majesty, over four centuries ago a child of similar talents was recorded in our people's history. Earthquakes and strange happenings began to occur much like in your case, getting steadily worse as the months went on. The parents refused the help of the council, despite our warnings and offers to help control the child's power.

"His father's opinion changed after the... very difficult birth. I'm afraid there was a terrible increase in the power of the uncontrolled bursts of magick. The mother and three midwives were killed..._burned_ alive..."

Chaucer and Marina stared, horrified at the thought.

"You… think this could be similar?" Marina shivered.

"What do we do?" Chaucer asked, his voice pleading for an answer. "We'll do anything!"

Eclipse smiled to himself, in his mind, for the briefest moment, though no sign of it showed on his face.

"I am fairly sure these two cases are very much similar... in fact, your case may in fact be **considerably worse**...if nothing is done..." Eclipse said, his voice trailing off, as he seemed to lose himself in contemplation and seeming to forget the King's question all together. This was going to be all too easy.

"… So?" Chaucer prodded. "What do we do?"

Eclipse acted as though he had been pulled from his thoughts. "Well, we have special spells and techniques that are designed for cases such as this. We should be able to control the child's power, so that even the birth will be safe." Eclipse answered, reassuringly.

Marina relaxed slightly, "Whatever is necessary."

"Yes," Chaucer agreed. "Would this require us going back to your village? Or can this be done here?"

"How long would this take?" Marina asked. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, I just want to know."

"Ah, yes..." Chaucer considered that a moment. He didn't want to force his poor wife to travel to such a far off village.

Eclipse and Ellipsis shared a look and, for the first time, Ellipsis spoke. "The spells require at least one member of our people, capable of at least..." he paused a moment, "…well a certain level of skill."

"Yes, but the less the experience, the less safe...." Eclipse added, speaking more to Ellipsis than the rest of the room.

"Of course," Ellipsis conceded. "Remember what happened the last time? Four hundred years ago?"

Eclipse nodded, and gave an obvious yet subtlety engineered glance to the King and Queen, one that showed concern, before he turned back to them.

"You would not have to travel to our land, but at least one of our people would have to stay here, for as long as... needed." Eclipse said matter-of-factly.

Marina's eyes narrowed the slightest bit, not liking the idea of having someone she didn't know around her child all the time, but Chaucer panicked. "What happened four hundred years ago? Can you prevent it?"

Marina was noticeably worried, but was doing a better job at containing it than her husband was. She didn't care about four hundred years ago, she cared about now! These two men were unknown— their race was unknown, their practices... all of it was new! Would she really want such mystery around her child all the time?

"You really think it's that bad? And if so… why, the dragon gods have always protected us. I'm not sure if you're familiar with them, but we believe in them completely. Would they not protect us now? No harm has ever come to Daguerreo."

In all truth... worship of the Dragon Lords was done more out of habit than anything else. They were scholars and most considered themselves far too educated to believe in such silly mythology... however, from time to time, the topic came up. And, what with the Royal Figures supposedly having been chosen **by** the Water Dragon Lord so many eons ago, it was expected they at least half heartedly believe it. Chaucer wasn't sure he did... He was King, yes, but by marriage. He had been royalty, a regent of a territory owned by Daguerreo but, at the time, not a full part of it. He had always loved Marina, who had been Daguerreo's Princess at the time, and to combine the mountain island they both married and took the positions of King and Queen. He did not have any of the abilities directly handed to the regal like by the Water Dragon Lord... so it was harder for him to see the stories as anything more than legends to be locked into memory for events where they needed to be brought forward. Beyond that, they were stories with perhaps a hint of truth.

After all... Daguerreo had always seemed to be protected, somehow.

Ellipsis spoke again; he couldn't answer both questions at the same time, however, "We are no stranger to the dragon gods. Dragons are very close to our people, too. You might say it is where we get out powers... However, your child's energy conflicts with the element of the dragon god that protects this place..."

While he was talking, Eclipse reached out with his mind, touching the unborn child. It took very little effort to implant a simple thought of panic into the not fully developed mind. The child had _no_ control over its power at all, and the panic quickly became another tremor, much stronger than the one a few moments ago.

The baby wasn't sure at all of what was wrong, just that there was something to fear, something wrong. Something that had to be stopped!

"…and so you see... the... guardian of . . ." Ellipsis was interrupted as the tremor got worse, and a chandelier fell from the ceiling, and shattered on the floor, nearly crushing a guard.

Marina shrieked as the chandelier fell, and Chaucer leapt from his chair, trying to get away from the cause of the eruption. The ground shook, the walls shook and the water in the many fountains and passageways started to boil! Steam filled the narrow hallways and the commotion caused panic that was evident from the screams that could be heard outside the throne room's doors.

Marina was at a loss, usually when there was a problem she calmed herself down and took slow, steady breaths that often calmed her baby. She thought comforting thoughts and just did her best to stay calm. No matter what she did now, she couldn't get the tremors to stop. Her aquatic abilities were no match for this; she couldn't even cancel out the sudden display of power. She felt herself growing tired just trying to remain calm. She felt exhausted, yes, but the worse was the heat. She felt like she was burning alive from the inside!

"I can't…" she panted, loud enough, or so she thought, that only her husband would hear. "I can't make it stop…!"

Ellipsis moved forward. "Remain calm! _We_ shall help," he announced as Eclipse ascended the steps to the thrones.

In sharp contrast to the rest of the palace, Eclipse was perfectly still and calm. He faced the Queen and closed his eyes, then slowly began to raise his hands in a kind of 'don't shoot me' gesture, but lower, and closer together, mostly facing the unborn child. At the same time, he began to implant the feeling of profound calm in the baby's mind...

The first thing to stop was the shaking. It was as if the earth had changed its mind about moving.  
The steam in the air slowly settled as the bubbling ended. It formed a sort of mist that cloaked Eclipse as if it were his very aura, then it peacefully vanished.

Marina stared, hardly breathing. It had all been so terrible, and then had ended so fast. And this man had stopped it… when she couldn't, he had.

"Such power, you must surely be favored by the dragon gods!" Chaucer was in awe. "Of course, a place here can be set up for you to stay— you must help us!"

"You… are the strongest from your village?" Marina managed to ask. "Would anyone else be able to control this?"

It had been bad, she had lost all control, she had felt the struggle and was amazed Master Eclipse was able to silence it.

She resolved, then and there, that if having a stranger around was what it took then that is what they would do.

For the sake of her child.

Eclipse lowered his hands and opened his eyes, he gave a nod. "You do realize it could be...**years**, before the child is no longer a danger to **himself** or others, and is able to control his powers himself?" He asked. Eclipse did not say "themselves" or "they" in reference to the child anymore. He knew it was a boy, now. He could feel its aura and there was a distinctness there that only males had. It was a boy, and it was a very powerful Fire Elemental. That was all that mattered, really. It was all he was after, a strong Fire Element... and with stupid parents; he'd never had an easier time getting this close. However, he knew that saying "he" was used a majority of the time, so anyone hearing him would assume he was just being generic. "It would take a **lot** of training for your child to learn to control his powers..."

Marina didn't like that... Years? Surely it couldn't take that long... three or four... yes, three or four years would be fine...  
She nodded, slowly.

Eclipse smiled inwardly again.

_Excellent._ He thought to himself. Still, he wanted a more official offer than a nod, so he turned to the King, an obvious gesture inviting him to add something.

As if on cue, a chunk of the ceiling fell on the already shattered chandelier. Unknown to most people in the room, Ellipsis had...helped it. Nevertheless, it served as a nice emphasis to Eclipse's look. His silver-gray eyes looking much like the glass that was heard smashing.

Chaucer regained himself and walked over. "It is openly apparent now that we'll need your skills, Master Eclipse. Whatever it takes, whatever you require, I am sure can be supplied; just name it. We need your help."

Marina wondered about the sudden outburst… was it because of these new visitors? Yet they had ended it, and that was all that mattered… so long as her child was safe, what else mattered?

Eclipse nodded. "Very well, I shall stay... Ellipsis and I will prepare a spell right away to stop the earthquakes... for the time being," he informed the King and Queen.

_Success!_ He thought to himself with an internal smirk.

Eclipse and Ellipsis were permitted to stay as advisors to Marina.  
The quakes did stop completely.

* * *

And the child was born without complications.

"He's wonderful!" Marina smiled, looking down at her baby.

Midnight black hair and reddish-brown eyes. He didn't look much like his parents, just enough for the Dragomir line to show through. At first glance, it seemed like there was no resemblance between the child and his parents, but when you truly looked, you could see Marina's long eyelashes and almond shaped eyes along with Chaucer's small nose and diamond shaped face. The perfect Prince, matching every ideal for beauty in Daguerreo, even if his coloring was not a perfect match with his parents.

He was a Fire Elemental, that was apparent and Master Eclipse had confirmed it along with the readers.

"What should we call him?" Marina asked.

"We could name him after my father? Haslan." Chaucer put in.

Eclipse made a disgusted face, unseen by the two rulers.

"Maybe after my grandfather? Ambrose?" Marina said.

Eclipse shook his head.

They didn't understand yet— this boy was **his**. The black hair was proof enough that Eclipse's magick had been working.

Nevertheless, the child's parents would ignore it; think it was just dark brown, or that it would get lighter as he got older.

Eclipse knew better... Eclipse was very good at getting what he wanted.  
Ellipsis looked the baby over. He didn't understand the big deal Eclipse made over it; it was just a baby and Eclipse... **loathed** children. Eclipse couldn't stand to be around anyone of his own species under twenty five, and then only if they were useful to him and/or a Pure Occultation.

It was true this child's firepower was abnormally strong… but what of it? Power like this often dimmed as they got older... Even though the boy was an Elemental, it was hard to believe this amount of power wouldn't fade. It was too young to tell for sure and it would take a while for it to become old enough for them to be sure.  
Hardly worth the time they had spent on this mountain already... Ellipsis knew Eclipse's plan, though. He had been on many trips like this before, but never when the child was so young… he himself had never been with Eclipse while after a child; usually just teenagers and adults.

"You're sure about this?" he whispered to Eclipse.

Eclipse nodded, though most of his attention was focused on casting hateful glares at the King and Queen.

"He has _parents_, Master Eclipse..." Ellipsis reminded.

He did not like this idea at all, though he hadn't from the very beginning... this all seemed wrong to him, they could be taking a perfectly innocent child— and this time the child had non-Occultation parents; it had parents who obviously loved and cared for it... and would notice the baby missing.

Eclipse looked back at him and smiled slightly. "You, Ellipsis, of all people know I get what I want."

Ellipsis knew indeed... knew every time he looked in the mirror and saw the face he'd always had... and then at Eclipse and saw what he'd lost.

Eclipse looked back at the two regal figures.

"Ambrose is a good name... How about Conner as his middle name?" Chaucer grinned.

Eclipse shook his head, taking charge. He already had a name for **his** child.

_Dracula. Dracula Vladimir Dragomir._ He whispered into the parent's minds, over and over, pressing the name into their every thought.

"Dracula..." Marina got a twisted look on her face, not liking the name.

_Dracula Vladimir Dragomir. Dragon, Prince. The renowned dragon prince, Dragomir._ Eclipse kept beating in that name, forcing it onto their every thought.

He made rhymes in their heads, pictures, and eventually forced them to like the name.  
The last name, the family name, couldn't be changed. It meant 'precious' and Eclipse was... relatively fine with that. The child never had to know what it meant.

"Prince Dracula Vladimir Dragomir." Chaucer finally said, deciding.

_Yes!_ Eclipse grinned to himself, _**My**__ little Drake._

_-_

As the years passed, Drake's abilities 'slipped' every now and then. Eclipse made sure of it. Eclipse had even convinced Chaucer to give him the tower on the west wing of the palace; the entire tower was his, connected to the palace by only a plat formed hallway that went over the airship dock.  
He'd gotten it, and convinced the royals that Drake's room needed to be in that tower as well. It had been difficult, at first. Separating the child by such a great distance was not favorable in the royal's eyes... but with so many priceless books, the King was very concerned about the grand libraries burning down... Eclipse made sure a few books were scorched every now and then; Drake's flame abilities really were admirable... he was nearly ready for the test. This time, Eclipse was sure he'd found the right fire element.

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**Reviewers Review! Please. If you have the time, I'd greatly appreciate it! Also, if you write FFIX fanfictions, I have a proboards forum all set up where you get RPG, share updates for your story, get art… and have fun! Invite your readers and we'll all get more reviews ^_^ Link in my profile! Feel free to put it into yours!**


	3. Chapter 2: Cult

**Hello, guys! ^_^ **

**Chapter 2: ****My Cult Like Following Is Now Accepting Applications!**

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**5 Years Later**

Prince Drake was five years old and sat in his room in the west tower. His parents lived on the other side of the palace; he lived in this tower with his guard Ellipsis, and his advisor Eclipse.

Drake didn't get to see his parents much... which he was starting to find odd, since his mother always seemed so happy to see him.  
Eclipse didn't seem to like it when Marina spent time with him. When Drake was with his mother, Eclipse always tried to stay close by. He always looked angry and had even taken Drake away from her many times saying it wasn't safe... Drake still wasn't sure what wasn't safe, but... no one ever answered when he asked.

Today was supposed to be special. Eclipse said they were going somewhere, so Drake sat and waited for him.

Eclipse was pausing to look over his balcony. The view was both amazing, and nauseating. The tower was built on a mountain, so you could look down the entire height of it, and then over the cliff it was built on. Today, clouds and mist made it impossible to see as far down as usual, but you still got the feeling the tower might topple, and fall for miles... not that it would matter much, to him. Heights weren't a problem for him, and the fact that people would fear a fall made this tower all the more useful.

Eclipse backed away. He liked this spot, but they had business to attend to. He continued up the corridor, and a guard opened Drake's bedroom door for him with a bored demeanor, having done the same thing a hundred and one times before.

Drake looked over and smiled, hugging his stuffed red dragon close. "Where are we going?"

Eclipse allowed himself a friendly smile. One that was at least party heartfelt. "We will be taking a boat, and visiting my _home_." He answered the young prince, while straightening his new blood-red robes.

They were both his favorite color, and the sign of the leader of his people. Though, not many knew that. His ascension to leader had not been unexpected... and would be made completely official in the next day or two, he was sure.

"Your home," Drake echoed. "I thought this was your home? I don't remember you ever being anywhere else."

"This will be my first time back in a long time, Drake." Eclipse said; his voice had the same calm authority as always, "I am _sure_ you will like it there."

Eclipse heard a distant bell as it chimed out, and echoed into silence several times. He knew it meant that it was nine o'clock, and did not even have to count the times it rang out.

"Are you ready?" He asked Drake. _To meet your destiny?_

Drake stood up with a nod, "I'm ready!" He said with his ever-present smile.

_Are you? Really?_ Eclipse wondered silently to himself as he wordlessly led them down to the docks. Unlike the hidden-by-mist city to the east, Lindblum, it was a long trip down the mountain to the docks.

Eclipse was hoping to avoid the King and Queen on the way out... He had neglected to mention this little trip to them. The wretched Queen would never allow it; he was sure. It was best not to tell them; they still held the dim belief that Drake was their child. Favorable not to allow that thought to fester.

Luckily, there was no sign of the royals, and by almost ten, he and Drake were boarding the boat. Ellipsis was there waiting for them. It _almost_ discomforted Eclipse, the way it was like looking into a mirror now that Ellipsis wore the same dark blue robes that Eclipse had worn for decades.

Drake jumped onto the boat and walked to the front, looking around excitedly. He'd never ridden on a ship, though he had come aboard a few that had docked to deliver supplies before. Drake was excited to be going... anywhere! After a while he circled back, ever on the move as any child would be. He paused behind Ellipsis, partly hidden in the shadows.

Eclipse had walked off to talk to the crew. Ships were slow, and it would take a good twenty-four hours to get to the Island. To Eclipse's delight, being on a boat in the middle of the ocean meant that Drake couldn't really wander off anywhere, like he tended to do... a lot… he was starting to wonder if it was a habit or a disorder.

Ellipsis, perhaps through his own confused thoughts, or mere lack of anything better to do, turned to Drake.

"Excited?" He asked, genuinely interested.

Drake nodded, "Never been on a boat before that was going anywhere."

He looked around again, though he kept his feet planted. "It's not as big as the boats that bring stuff..." He noticed, seeming almost disappointed.

"No..." Ellipsis agreed after a moment. "But this one is _faster_," he added with a small smile at the young prince. The dock was slowly crawling toward the horizon, and out of sight. The wind started to pick up as well.

Drake took notice to that word, 'faster' and his smile widened. In an instant, something else caught his eye and he rushed off to find something to do.

While Eclipse relaxed during the trip, it was Ellipsis's job to keep Drake entertained… which, on such a small boat, he assumed would be difficult, but was turning out to be easier than he thought it would be.

The young prince spent much of his time being fascinated by the water. Ellipsis would have thought the boy would be tired of it by now, there being so many ponds and fountains in the palace, but he didn't ever seem to. Drake found it entertaining that the fish would eat stuff he tossed into the water, and the bigger the thing he dropped, the bigger the fish would come. However, there was only so much food on board that Ellipsis could let him waste… so he had to find something else to keep him occupied.

"Fetch."

"Okay!"

If anyone had ever told him to try this, Ellipsis would have thought they were lying… but it worked. He had a white rubber ball for a purpose he couldn't even try to imagine, but whenever it got away from him, Drake went and got it… so he decided to throw it and the same reaction occurred.

He could only play catch for so long and he tended to get tired long before Drake did. There was also the fact to consider that they had to be inside during the game in fear of the toy going over the side of the ship and the boy going after it.

Thus, this game took its place. Ellipsis figured it wasn't cruel since the kid didn't seem to mind and it did keep him busy and, in theory, running around so much would tire him out.

Of course, it had been nine hours and that theory was starting to seem like a lost cause.

The ship moved; the ball rolled everywhere, Drake ran after it… Ellipsis was free to sit back and wait for the prince to come back. It wasn't productive, but so what? Drake had advanced far further than the other children his age had. He obeyed Eclipse and Ellipsis; he was excelling in his lessons at amazing speed. Without Eclipse's subliminal force, Drake hardly lost control of his powers and when he did it wasn't a major deal… the boy's parents had been too quick to worry, they could have handled this on their own.

Ellipsis had to notice, though, the energy and power he'd felt from the Prince as a baby had only grown. If the boy had a harsher temperament, he might already be dangerous, but he didn't. He was as calm and friendly as his parents…, which just made this harder.

This young child had no idea what he was being led into. He didn't know who or what he might be, he didn't know what was going to happen… he didn't know that his life would either be over, or forever be altered once they arrived at the island.

Ellipsis could remember personally doing this before, but never to a child so young… and no one had ever survived before. Of course, if anyone had… Ellipsis wouldn't be on this boat right now leading another person to undergo the trial.

It was ironic… Marina had often made mention of the lack of fire elements in the world now… how there had always been less of them. She'd asked him if he knew why, and Ellipsis had lied and said he wasn't sure… yet this is it. This was why. Because they captured the Fire Elementals and brought them to the Island and none survived. Less and less appeared in the world; it was as if Gaia knew what they were doing and decided to limit the lives it put on the line.

Drake walked back. "Got it!" He said, tossing the ball back to Ellipsis.

Ellipsis looked at the clock and almost choked when he saw how late it was. "It's after midnight?"

Drake looked at the clock, too. He had no idea what time it was, exactly. The clock had lines, but no number. "…Yup?"

"Aren't you tired?" Ellipsis asked, looking at him.

"Yup!"

"… You're so weird. Go get ready for bed." Ellipsis instructed, pointing toward one of the cabins.

Drake shrugged. "Okay," he said and walked to his room. He got dressed for bed in his black and red nightclothes, but left his shoes on since he couldn't get all the knots untied.  
Drake fell asleep holding his toy dragon in his arms.

* * *

The wind had picked up even more, and the ship arrived well ahead of schedule. About three in the morning, it sailed quietly into the dark stone docks of the island.

Eclipse had gone to find Drake, and found him asleep in one of the cabins. He carefully picked the young boy up, trying not to wake him, and carried him off the boat.

A group of silent people all in dark blue robes met them, much as if they had been expected at that very moment, and they all proceeded onward up a rocky path, and into an ancient building on the volcano's side without a word spoken. Inside, the corridors were dark, and lit only by flaming torches, and thin channels of guided, flowing, lava.

They followed the lava until they proceeded up steps with flows of lava moving calmly down each side. In front of them was a large crest on the wall. The image of a dragon carved into the smooth stone. Small holes near the top let thin trails of lava to flow down the carved trails. Making it appear as if the lava had taken on a mind of its own and worn the permanent image into the rock over time. From the dragon's mouth, the lava that flowed slowly throughout the whole building originated from an unseen source in the rock.

Eclipse turned his attention to the boy in his arms; it was time to wake the young prince up...

Drake yawned, waking up. He felt groggy; sure he hadn't slept long... for a moment he wasn't sure if he was awake or not.

The heat was the first thing he noticed. The next was the light… it was odd, odd light. It wasn't very bright… it was actually rather dim, and it seemed to come from the walls unlike any torch he'd ever seen.

There were also a lot of... people? Drake couldn't tell. A lot of blue robes, a lot of hidden faces.  
It was so dark, he could hardly see anything.

"Hm?"

"We're here, time to wake up." Eclipse announced coolly, "I want to show you something."

He lowered the boy to his feet, resting his hands on his small shoulders, initially just to make sure he didn't stumble into the lava. Though, in a moment... in case he tried to run...

Drake was waking up quickly. "Here? Where?" The smell of sulfur and ash was getting to him already. It smelt like poison in there— wherever **there** was.

He tried to back up, wanting to be as far from that place as possible. Last thing he remembered, he'd fallen asleep on the ship... headed for Ellipsis ad Eclipse's home. This place seemed suffocating, but he wasn't afraid. Ellipsis was his guard, he wouldn't let anyone hurt him, and Eclipse was his advisor, he wouldn't put him into a dangerous situation. At the moment, Drake was simply oblivious to the goings on.

Eclipse held the boy where he was firmly, and nodded to Ellipsis who was by his side.  
Ellipsis gave a short look down to the young prince, and hesitated a moment before looking away. He moved to whisper something to one of the other people there.  
After a moment, that person, a man, stepped forward toward the crest. The man stretched out his arm and began to reach out at the crest, his hand emerging from his long blue sleeve. The hand looked odd. It was old, and perhaps by a trick of the light, seemed a faint green color, with long sharp-pointed black nails that looked almost like claws…

Drake watched with confusion. He watched the man reach out. It didn't look like a person's hand, it had claws, it... it looked like it had scales and he could have sworn it was green.  
What was going on? What was this? His mind asked questions his young wisdom could not answer. He felt uneasy, but could not fully place why. The hand was very, very unusual— scary looking, even, but he had to do his best to believe he was safe; protected by Eclipse and Ellipsis... still, he could not help but feel anxiety rise in him like the many questions.

Eclipse could sense the boy's unease, but did not offer anything in way of explanation or comfort. Meanwhile, the strange hand moved toward the mouth of the dragon and the molten lava that poured from it, while its nostrils seemed to exhale a constant stream of foul-smelling smoke.

The hand did not stop half a foot away from the lava, nor did it stop a few inches away. Eventually, the long nails touched the lava, and flames rushed along them, making them seem to melt.

But the hand didn't stop, it continued until the fingertips touched the lava. The man growled in pain, and his arm trembled as he fought not to pull away as his fingertips melted. Burned and blackened bits of flesh already were being carried off in the stream of lava.

_Still _the man continued, his fingers in to the knuckles now. The man's growls of pain had become low, and sounded inhuman. Much like the growls of the monsters Drake's Father had once brought back from a trip to another continent. The ones that howled and growled all night. Causing half the castle to not be able to sleep, and the rest to have horrible nightmares...

By the time the man's palm started to enter the stream, and the last parts of his fingers had crumbled off and dissolved in the molten rock, he looked near collapse. His tortured growls and ragged breathing sounded much like when the King had ordered the monsters destroyed the very next morning. Tortured, and far too low for a human to manage. The growls grew louder each moment, and echoed down the dark empty halls, creating a chorus of agony that surrounded them.

Drake let out a terrified scream, watching this… **thing** purposefully melting off its own hand! Drake could smell the burnt flesh, hear the popping of the bones in the extreme heat as they broke down, see the blood vessels vaporize! Yet this beast of a man continued!

Drake tried to turn, tried to run, tried to do anything but watch. His mind panicked in the confusion. What was going on and why?

"I wanna go back to the ship!" He pleaded, looking up at Eclipse and then he looked at Ellipsis. "I don't wanna be here!" His wide eyes begged for help, for an explanation. It was a nightmare— a living nightmare. Even though the event was not happening to him; he could not stand being so close to it; could not tolerate the sight of this mutilation.

"Just watch," Eclipse instructed; his voice terrifyingly calm for what was going on. Ellipsis remained silent, making sure not to look at the prince...

The man put his hand all the way in to the wrist. The stench of burned flesh burned Eclipse's nostrils, but was not unfamiliar to him. The man let out a loud scream of immense pain as the skin of his arm started to turn black and peel away.  
It was loud, and strangely high-pitched. So much so, that it hurt Eclipse's ears. It echoed down the corridor, and could be heard even from outside the building... Creatures looked up at the sound, fearing whatever _monster_ was making that noise. For it was a sound no human could ever make, and every prey animal would always fear.

Then there was a load click. Like stone crashing against metal. Like a giant lock being opened. And the stone of the floor and walls began to vibrate, though it felt like the stone was trembling at the terrible scream, it may have been a mechanism at work.

Eclipse's hand gripped Drake's shoulders tighter as all this went on. Then suddenly, the man pulled back. His scream suddenly stopping and he fell to his knees, cradling his hand. Which although appearing not completely human, was somehow completely unharmed. Not a single burn or scratch.

The man was gasping for breath, and still trembling.

Drake was breathing fast. He wanted so badly not to have watched, not to have seen, but he had...

What kind of thing could do that?

Drake didn't know what to do. Eclipse's strong grip kept him from moving, and he didn't even know where he was, so he couldn't even hope to find the way back to the boat... If he did find the way back, then what? Why had he been brought here to this horrible place full of monsters?

No one would tell him anything. Eclipse had said they were going to visit his home. He said Drake would like it...  
Drake definitely didn't like this.

He felt a burning inside his chest, an anxious feeling he'd felt many times before. He knew what it was, this feeling. It was his power, his magick, ready to be summoned should he just drop that final guard.  
Would it be enough? That beast had just purposely tormented itself with the burning, flowing rock— would Drake's fire have any effect on them?  
The burning grew. It didn't hurt, it never did. It made him feel safe. It spread through his chest and then up through his shoulders and down his arms where it stopped at his hands, getting stronger and stronger.  
A flicker, nothing more than small, blue flames formed at his fingertips; a fraction of what he could do. His mind was worried, so his magick was preparing for action.  
Drake had fallen asleep holding onto his favorite toy, his plushy red dragon. It wouldn't burn, luckily. It was soft, velvet and cashmere, but magickally enhanced not to burn. At the moment, it felt like one of the only things he had left. His dragon and his fire.

Eclipse could feel the power grow in the boy, but had expected this. Drake would..._understand_ soon enough. In fact, even now, the wall was beginning to move aside, the lava no longer flowing from the crest. Beyond it was a dark cave-like passageway. Warm air blew out of it, thick with the poisonous scent of the volcano. Like the rancid breaths of some giant beast. The blue robed people began to walk inside...

"Come along," Eclipse instructed, in a tone he used often with Drake that would pass as reassuring. The same tone he used when the boy failed a task he was given, and needed encouragement to try again. He was quite sure the boy would walk into the passageway without being forced. Eclipse wanted to avoid that. It would be...bothersome.

Drake was fairly certain that **forward** was the last direction he wanted to go. His mind did not even register the request from Eclipse for nearly a full minute, just stood there biting his lip and shaking his head. However, Drake was so familiar with that tone of voice he took a subconscious step before he could stop himself. Just the one, then he froze again and even more fear rose in him.  
His fire flickered again, growing bigger.

Eclipse stepped forward too, coaxing Drake forward softly. It wasn't a push— at least not one that would alarm the boy. Just enough force to let Drake know that he wanted him to keep going.

"It will be alright, _trust me_." Eclipse assured him.

Ellipsis shivered slightly at the falsehood of his superior's words. Eclipse didn't seem to find lying to the child hard at all...

_Trust me._ Those two words circled around Drake's mind, making him dizzy for a second, and then he was walking, slowly, before he even realized it. Drake kept moving, feeling and hearing his advisor's urging. He'd always been taught to obey Eclipse and Ellipsis…  
In the back of his mind, though, the worry was increasing. His mind raced with hopeless escape plans. He glanced up at Eclipse for a moment, as he walked.

_I have to trust them…_ Drake thought to himself, _they've never hurt me._ Drake wasn't sure why, but that thought made him shudder and his fire grew large enough to be visible around his plushy dragon.

They followed the passageway in the dim light for a few minutes, slowly getting darker, till it was almost pitch black, however, the people in the blue robes kept going as if they could see perfectly fine in the darkness... as silent and at home in the black as shadows. It began to get lighter again. The same fiery glow as back at the crest, but brighter.

Soon, they came to the end of the passageway, and it opened up into a large cavern, in which there was a large lake of lava, which took up most of the floor. It was hot here, and it was hard to breathe, but perhaps that was partly because of the truly terrifying sight in the middle of the lake.

There stood, a huge statue of a dragon. Not just any statue, but one that seemed to be made from magickally suspended lava. Drake remembered seeing a glass blower working once, the heated glass almost looked like what this dragon was made from.

Eclipse looked up high where the dragon's head was. It was looking straight ahead with glowing red eyes that looked like orbs of fire. The drafts of hot air and the hissing of the lava sounded eerily like the dragon breathing. Even though from its horrible red eyes, you would swear it had life, it did not turn to look at them, or move at all.

As Eclipse led Drake closer to the statue, the lava let out a loud hiss that caused even the ground to shake a little, like they had been seen and warned to keep their distance by the non-living dragon.

Eclipse and the others came to an abrupt stop.

The young prince looked up at the monstrous dragon.

Drake's home, the palace where he lived, was full of dragon statues... but nothing like this. The calming statues he was used to were hidden from his memory now, replaced by images of this impossible statue.

Everyone else had stopped as if given some cue, as if this had all been rehearsed and planned for a long time. Drake looked around at the 'people' for a moment, hugging his dragon to him tighter. The toy's soft features and innocent face looked brittle compared to the towering beast in front of them.

Steam and ash poured from the statue's gargantuan jaws where rows of sharp fangs were shown. Nothing could compare to those teeth. Despite their molten material, the teeth were sharp, Drake was sure of it. They were huge, each tooth at least seven inches long... except the canines; they were at least a foot long on the top row, and eleven inches long on the bottom.  
It was all impossible… but it was there.

Drake felt another nudge, an urge to move forward and he foolishly took a step or two.  
Looking at this statue closer was even more daunting. It seemed to move. Heat waves caused the appearance of true movement, but Drake knew nothing of that. He was sure it was moving on its own.  
It was so big; he couldn't even see all of it at once. He didn't care about the rest of it, though. The head was where his gaze was stuck.

He felt completely alone in that room, alone with that statue and his fear built up.  
Drake's little flame grew large enough to enclose his little dragon, and spread up his arms, slightly. It also changed from a small, hot blue flame to a more common, but more dangerous red, yellow, white and orange one.

Drake was right next to the statue now and something in his mind screamed.  
His throat made a nervous whimper he couldn't stop, his eyes welled up with tears and he slowly started to back up, feeling nothing now but the urge to run from this place as fast as he could and never, ever look back.

One of the men in the blue coats moved, Drake saw it out of the cover of his eye and stopped moving, the movement causing his stare to fixate on the man.  
The man moved and the air by him started to fluctuate, making it look like the statue's tail was moving. The man was abruptly hit into one of the many pools of lava and his scream was the same as from the green-skinned man who had stuck his hand into the crest, if not even more haunting in this deadly cavern.

Drake's attention toward the man who could no longer scream was suddenly driven back to the dragon statue's head as it quivered and suddenly really did move.  
It lashed to the side and then forward, directly at Drake with its mighty jaws open.

Drake screamed in pure terror, he brought his arms up to cover his face and his body erupted into flames— from the top of his head where his small silver crown rested, down to his boots and around the floor as a protective shield.

Drake felt a much, much different kind of heat abruptly, as the dragon's jaws must have surely snapped around him. He held his eyes shut out of fear and felt colossal pain coursing through him, unstoppable, torturing pain!  
His arms suddenly felt heavy, his entire body did. Holding his eyes shut as tightly as he did swiftly became tiring in itself.

It had only been a few seconds since the attack began, but his fire vanished by no choice of his own... it was simply and abruptly gone as if someone had hit a kill switch for it.  
His arms dropped, uselessly to his side. His precious dragon plushy fell to the ground beside him. Drake was unaware of anything but the sudden darkness that enveloped him. His head dropped and his knees caved… and the last thing he knew, he was falling.

Eclipse watched the whole scene with a serene smile on his face. By the time it was over, Drake was lying on the ground, with his dragon toy a few feet away. The dragon statue was gone.

This was it… this is what he'd been waiting for, what he had spent so many decades searching for… the right one. The one from the Prophecy. The only person that ever had and ever would be able to survive such a thing… the one destined to keep their civilization alive.

And he belonged to Eclipse.

He'd been the one to find the boy— and what an interesting twist the fates had chosen. Making him a Prince of the Water Dragon God's territory. As if they thought that would protect the boy, as if they thought it would scare Eclipse off…

Not a chance. He himself was nearly a god just by having control of the Prince. None of the elders would dare order him around. They would all have to rely on him to keep the boy safe, keep him alive… Eclipse could do anything he wanted now. No one would be above him.

Eclipse walked over and scooped the boy up in his arms.

"**You will thank me for this,"** he informed the boy in a low whisper and grinned wider. Things could not have gone any better.

There had been a doubt in his mind all along as to this phase of the plan working. The hardest part should be over...

He turned, and started to walk out, followed by almost all the other blue-robed figures, who seemed to have no care for the fate of the one that was now nothing more than the scent of burned flesh in the air.

Ellipsis however, was the last to leave. Kneeling down, he picked up the small red dragon and put it in his robes. He honestly didn't know if the prince would miss the toy when he woke up. Would the change be immediately obvious? Or would it be gradual? The uncertainties worried him, but he followed the others.

As he walked, Ellipsis thought more about what they had just done… they had actually found him. They actually found Dragon. He could see the smiles and grins the Occultations around him were trying to hide. The Pureblooded Occultations were very pleased indeed. Their long search had ended; their continuation assured… because of Eclipse.

He was their leader now. He'd completely proven himself this time. Not only had he found Dragon, but he had managed to steal him back from the Water Dragon God's own territory.

Not that it was difficult to fool a five year old who had grown up being taught to trust you… Yet they all praised him for it. Because he had been chosen…

* * *

**Many decades ago…**

A child was born amongst the Occultation tribe. The boy was able to create fire at will. Form it, manipulate it… they were almost completely sure he was the Dragon they had so longed for. However, it was a problem… his parents were lesser.

Many of the elders were struggling for an answer on what to do. The parents were _**Lessers**_, but could gain more control than the elders, the Pures, because they had the child…

The Pure Occultations had been the dominant species forever! The Lesser were hardly better than humans! They were not granted the gift of the dragon heritage; they were not empowered by the dragon's blood…

Eclipse was particularly upset. He paid the family a little visit.

Badru was excited about his son, Khons.

"I have Dragon. The dragon spirit born a lesser," Badru grinned.

It was his mistake to gloat.

"… Congratulations." Eclipse sneered, watching Khons playing.

For twelve years, this Lesser family had gotten special treatment—treated like elders, even! Eclipse was tired of it.

"Thanks," Badru chuckled.

Eclipse crossed his arms. "You know, we could take him to Cináed. To be sure this is Dragon."

"In time, in time." Badru dismissed it, not wanting that day to come.

He was sure of who and what his son was. It could not be a glitch or a mistake, Khons had to be Dragon, Badru was sure.

Badru didn't want to risk losing his son, though. So he was stalling the meeting with Cináed as long as possible. He wanted Khons to feel sympathy for the Lessers, to feel for them, so that he would not be controlled by the Elders once the test was over… Badru was sure they would try to take his son from him… he and a few of the other Lessers had devised a plan in secret. If Khons was Dragon, then that would empower the Lessers. They could take over this island; no one would be able to stop them. If the Pure's wounded Dragon, they themselves would feel it. If they killed him it would drain their powers enough some of the older ones would die off right away… they would have to wait for the cycle of souls to return him to this world and then pray they could find him again.

It was perfect! Those with the least dragon in them, the ones so far condemned to be second rate would be the ones ruling!

Eclipse knew it and it infuriated him.

Khons ventured out of the cave, into the daylight that did not affect him at all, and he even proved it by starting a ring of fire around him to show off in front of a few other lesser children who had called for him to come play.

Eclipse hated children, and why someone would let Dragon play with them was beyond his comprehension… Lesser children did age faster than Pure's did, but it was foolish! If you let a child be around other children too much they would pick up the other children's bad habits, and you would lose control. How many times had he heard, 'but my friends say' while passing a child…too many times. He would never allow it himself.

"Hmm. One more thing the Pures cannot do," Badru mused as he watched the daylight shine down on his son. "And I have him!"

Eclipse shot him a glare… then smiled. "Badru… a Lesser such as yourself, should be much more careful around the lava pools." He purred, and then advanced forward.

Badru had no hope of fighting back in the darkness; he could not even release a scream before his life ended. He had heard the threat… then the sudden pain as his body was cast into the molten earth, then nothing.

"Hm," Eclipse smirked. "It appears… now** I** have Dragon."

Eclipse wasted no time. He found Aurora, Khons mother, and alerted everyone that it was time to go see Cináed.

And indeed, Cináed was called.

One of the elders opened the door by casting their hand into the lava crest.  
Khons watched, uninterested, bored even. It was an ancient test. One of many that had remained from the times when Cináed tested the loyalty of his followers obsessively. One would say he was almost paranoid, often requiring acts that went strongly against even the most basic human instincts, to prove loyalty… but it was a common enough event that very few were affected by it.

As they walked down to the bottom of the volcano, Cináed was not there… the room was empty… Everyone walked in and stood in position and only then did the statue of Cináed form from the magma…

Eclipse watched, suddenly knowing something was not right about this. He glared at Khons who stood there, watching the magma form.

Cináed should have been able to form nights ago from the energy Khons would have given him.

Eclipse growled as realization hit. This was the wrong child.

Cináed took Aurora as his sacrifice, and Khons lunged forward, angered by the horrific death of his mother.

The dragon god turned on Khons, next. His jaws snapped shut around the angry, pouting child; destroying him instantly, but painfully.

Several of the elders and even more of the Lessers were killed by Cináed for having dared bring him the wrong soul.

Cináed then turned to Eclipse.

_You knew…_ The statue stated.

Eclipse nodded. "I apologize for your wasted trip, we had been so sure for the longest time… it wasn't until we arrived here in your chamber that the realization reached me."

Cináed seemed to consider this a moment as he gazed into Eclipse's eyes. This one had seen something the others missed; even if it was late, he had the right instincts… that had been proven several times already.

Cináed then gave a slight nod. _I shall grant you the power of the seeker; you will be able to find Dragon next time!_ And then Cináed vanished, melting back into the magma.

Eclipse felt a burning in his chest that nearly caused him to fall. It was power, he'd been granted raw power! Dragon blood… not like the rest of the Occultations Pures, not like the blood Eclipse was born with, this was even more powerful.

"Yes… next time I shall be sure you have the right soul." Eclipse had said to himself, and turned to leave— ignoring the other people in the chamber, some injured and begging for help, others beyond hope.

He smiled to himself, brushing ash out of his short, blonde hair.

Cináed had seemed to have forgotten. With a dragon's blood, came a dragon's ambition and greed… Eclipse would find Dragon, of course… but this time, the dragon spirit would be his alone to control. With this new power and Dragon, he could control the whole world! It would all be his!

Eclipse looked at a small statue of a young dragon. It was a tribute to Dragon and a constant reminder of the reason they needed to be watchful.

"… I will find you." Eclipse said, smirking a bit. "You are going to be mine, Dragon. I swear it."

400 years after Eclipse was given the ability to find Dragon, there had been no other children that even came close to being the dragon spirit since Khons.

Every few years, there would be a promising report that would only turn out to be false once the test Cináed gave was done and yet another fire element was killed.

It was after going to investigate one of these at a village of mystics far off to the south, that Eclipse found himself in need of a new aid. There had been an attack by the Earth Dragon God's followers while Eclipse had been there… Now he had to fix the damage to his plans. His aid had been killed in the attack.

Apsis had been a Lesser. She'd had fiery red hair and deep blue eyes; she was as attractive as she was ruthless. Eclipse had often used her talents to engineer a situation to his advantage. It is intriguing how persuasive a pretty girl often was. He couldn't really say he was upset by her death, but he could say that he would miss her talents.

So, Eclipse went to the temple in the Occultation village to see which aids were available. Some aids were in training at all times. Some elders changed them every other month. They often died. Considered expendable, which as far as Eclipse was concerned, they were.

Eclipse asked to see the girls, first, but was quickly disappointed. Only one was Apsis' equal in beauty, but she was quiet, and would not be reliable enough for those tasks in which Apsis had excelled. So Eclipse also saw the men.

It was all pretty routine until one named Ellipsis was presented. His features were what intrigued Eclipse at first… dark, refined, and regal. Then he learned of the young man's talents in sneaking, lying, and working undercover. Eclipse took him on. He was perfect.

Eclipse had a talent that none of the others did, even before he received the power from Cináed.  
He could change his appearance. Ellipsis' looks were mostly what Eclipse loved, like a fine suit for display in a shop window. And the man's skills… it was all so perfect!

Eclipse took on Ellipsis' form as his own, and Ellipsis instantly became his twin, in appearance. Ellipsis would be his double. What better way to sneak around if you could be in two places at the same time?

Ellipsis was not pleased with this, but he had no say in the matter. His entire life now was an act. He had to be ready to swap places with Eclipse at a moment's notice. To forever be the shadow of the man that had stolen his face…

Now, here he was... so many years later and still just another shadow to the lord of shadows himself...

Back on the ship, Eclipse put the boy back down on the bunk he had taken him from perhaps only an hour before...


	4. Chapter 3: What You Think

**Hello again, dear readers! Solark, thank you for the review!**

**I'd like to take this time to answer a few short questions :)**

**Yes, the forum is for any FF9 fanfic writer/reader to use. You can get artwork, share artwork, share your stories, RPG, talk about the game... anything! We're getting Dissidia stuff going, too!  
**

**The exciting chapters are coming. I know this all does seem a bit slow right now, but it is going to get much more exciting soon!**

**Yes, this does branch into Once More With Feeling. Things that are "hidden" in OMWF, are in this. This story will soon be set at the same time as OMWF and give the side OMWF is missing, so do not fret! **

**While this story is not set as being after OMWF (till the end chapters, anyway), it is important you read OMWF first.**

**That is all!**

**Chapter 3: Don't Believe Everything You Think**

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* * *

  
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Drake had awful dreams... he woke after a few hours.

Everything ached, but he wasn't sure why... he felt different, not really in a good way. Drake felt tired, drained... he shuddered, his mind flashing images from what must have been his awful dream.  
And he couldn't find his little dragon.  
"Ow..."

As if on cue, Eclipse walked into the room carrying a wide, shallow bowl of warm water intended for the prince to wash up with. A small towel was draped over his forearm.

"Ah, you're up." The dark haired man observed with a polite, rather than sincere, smile, and then put the bowl and towel down on a small table on one side of the cabin. "Good morning, your highness."

Drake yawned and sat up. "We're there?" He asked, rubbing his aching eyes.

"Yes," Eclipse started, his tone gave absolutely no hint of the events of the night before. It was as if it had never happened. "We arrived about half an hour ago. Would you like to see the village?"

"Umm..." Drake used the warm water and washed his face, trying to wake himself up more. "I... I guess so."

Eclipse gave a curious look. "Are you alright, young prince?" He asked; genuine concern, or what sounded like it, in his voice. He pulled up a stool and sat down on it leisurely, facing the young boy. The gesture indicated he wanted an answer, and was willing to listen to what the boy had to say.

Drake rubbed his eyes again, not understanding why they still caused pain. "My eyes hurt a bit... I ... I had nightmares, scary ones... I can't remember them now."

Eclipse seemed to consider it a moment. "Perhaps you are getting ill..." He thought aloud, stating it like it was the best explanation he could think of.

"Would you like to go home?" He asked after a moment.

Drake felt bad about it... he didn't want to be the cause of this trip being ruined, but he didn't think he could walk anywhere right now.  
Sadly, he nodded. "I'm sorry... I don't want to ruin the trip."

After a moment, he looked around again. "Um... where... where's my dragon?"

"No need to apologize, your highness." Eclipse said, responding to the young boy's first statement, then put his thumb and forefinger to his chin as he considered the question.

In his mind, he relived the night before, and saw himself leaving the dragon on the floor near the lake of lava. _Damn it..._

"I'm afraid I am not sure," he finally answered. "I will ask Ellipsis, perhaps he has seen it." He then stood up, and gave the room a quick look over that was mostly for show, before going to leave, "I'll be right back."

Drake nodded and lay back down. He was tired, but... he never went to sleep without that dragon, not since he'd gotten it and he couldn't remember when he'd gotten it.  
It had been a gift... it was important... and it was 'safe' for him. His fire power got him in trouble quite a bit— everything had to be adapted and he felt bad about that.  
But the little dragon was important to him...

Eclipse left the room, and five or so minutes passed. Then, outside the cabin, Ellipsis approached. He held the small red dragon toy in his right hand. He paused, looking at it; it reminded him of the prophecy that had caused all this.  
_  
__A long, long, long time ago.__ No one is sure when exactly; __there were five elemental dragon gods that ruled the earth__._

_Cináed the fire dragon,  
__Fafnir__ the Thunder dragon,  
Okeanos the water dragon,  
__Amon__ the wind dragon,  
and Poseidon, the earth dragon._

_Cináed was the protector and lord of their people. He gave them their powers, and even made __them__ part dragon like himself. He was a strong god, and fought off the other dragon gods, who were evil, and wanted to kill the Occultations._

_The fire dragon was winning, when the despicable water dragon, Okeanos, and the ruthless earth dragon, Poseidon, joined forces to defeat the noble Cináed._

_He __was forced__ by their treacherous ways to test his followers in harsh ways. Like the way that the elder had to open the crest. Only __**true **__followers of Cináed would be able to enter the sacred places. __But somehow__, the two enemies sank to a new depth, and somehow Poseidon managed to steal the very spirit of their master. If that __wasn't__ bad enough, the two gods of water and earth then sank their land. So many of his people had died, and the volcano at the center of their island had erupted with Cináed's grief._

_The spirit that would allow his power to come back in the form of a child someday, and allow him to live long past his enemies that sought to destroy him, and Ellipsis' people. This spirit __was simply called__ the Dragon. As it was the very essence of the dragon god's power._

_Despite stealing it, and forcing poor Cináed into a weak and dormant state.__ They could not destroy it, ensuring that Cináed's power would one day __be__ able to be restored. It was not their duty to watch for this child...  
_  
Ellipsis walked into the cabin, offering out the toy dragon to the small boy there.

_The Dragon __must be returned__... _

All this **had** to be done. It was for the good of Ellipsis' people, and the fire dragon god. And so that they could finally punish the evil gods for all the deaths they had caused. It felt strange to be trying to steal the boy from the land he was born to, and his parents. But he was born from the spirit of Cináed.

Drake was theirs. This was his home, really. He would understand eventually. This is why Eclipse had been given the power to find him. To bring him home.

Drake grinned, seeing the toy and took it swiftly. "Thank you!" He chirped, but then his energy drained again and he just felt tired— a major contrast from the energy he'd felt on the ride to the village... he was always energetic, now he felt the exact opposite.  
"I think I'm gonna sleep for a while..." he said.  
His eyes shut before he could even finish 'while' and in moments, he was sound asleep, hugging his little toy dragon tight.

_This was right._ Ellipsis reminded himself before leaving the room quietly. The boy would need his sleep; the changes ahead would probably not be easy on him. It meant a lot of work for them, too.

* * *

Marina stood just inside the castle by the ship docks, watching the horizon.  
It was easy to tell she was not a very happy woman. Chaucer was busy that day, and she had accompanied him through much of his business that morning, but by noon, she noticed something... quit disturbing...  
Her son was gone, as was Master Eclipse's ship, and had been gone for over two days.  
Finally, she saw the ship dock and stormed toward it.

Eclipse emerged onto the deck, and approached the gangplank to disembark. His luggage would be handled for him, so he didn't have to worry about it.

Though, he probably _would _have to worry about the rather angry looking Queen charging toward the ship. If he was nervous though, he didn't show it. He just turned his attention to the damp and slightly slimy wood. He was too proud and careful to allow himself to fall on his arse. Especially at a time like this.

Marina charged over and growled. "Where have you been?"  
Had she any more rage in her, and not had the proper upbringing she'd been 'gifted' with, she would have shoved him down on his arse. Then kicked him. But as it were, she was just ready to fire him.

Eclipse raised an eyebrow. "Why, to the Island, of course. Where else would we have been?" He asked matter-of-factly, still perfectly calm. This woman had never intimidated him before, and he wasn't going to let her now. She could shout till she was blue in the face if she wanted, and it wouldn't effect him at all.

Marina grit her teeth. "You did not tell me you were going, you said there would be no reason to go there— and even if there was, why didn't you tell me? I would have come. And you took Dracul! Without my permission! He's my son, _Master_ Eclipse, and I won't tolerate this!"

Inside the cabin, Drake was trying to figure out why his eyes still stung. He wasn't as tired anymore, sleeping for twenty hours has that effect, but he still didn't feel well. He felt better than he had, but the sudden illness was a mystery to him.  
Gingerly, he peeked out the cabin door, wondering if they had docked yet.

"I was under the impression that the King would have informed you of the arrangements," Eclipse responded quickly. Though his tone was not one of worry, but of simple surprise. It really sounded as if he was a little shocked. His face still held the same calm and collected expression that it held most of the time.

Marina was sure that answer was a lie. Sure of it. She'd asked Chaucer many times if he knew where their son was and he'd always said 'no' he didn't.  
But Eclipse said it in such a way that it made her reconsider her actions… Chaucer wouldn't have forgotten… would he?

It was confusing. A moment ago, she'd been ready to permanently dismiss this man, now she couldn't even think of anything to say. She was sure she was being lied to, but at the same time… unsure. It was illogical reasoning and she couldn't figure out what to do next… She just wanted answers.  
"But **why** were you at the island?"

At that moment, Drake ran out and pounced her. "Mommy!"  
With that, her anger faded… she couldn't just fire Eclipse with Drake there, he still couldn't fully control his powers and would question her as to why she'd fired the only person who could help him.

Eclipse could feel the uncertainty rolling off the Queen's mind like the waves of the sea he was suspended over by a meager bridge. Uncertainty was a useful tool. It made people hesitate. It made them open to suggestion.

Reaching out to her mind with his, and using his powers to reinforce his words, he spoke again. His voice neutral and sure. "If you'll excuse me, the King will be eager to hear how the trip went."

After he had spoken, he moved carefully past the queen and Drake, and stepped off the gangplank, onto the wooden dock. The strong and sturdy surface as much a reassurance to him, as the queen's confusion.

**Next Morning**

Drake still didn't feel well... He'd woken up, cleaned up, dressed, and still felt bad. His eyes didn't hurt as much, though, and he was bored...  
Coincidentally, since he'd been sleeping so much, he was awake before anyone else in the palace.

So, he walked over to his balcony window and looked out... His vision seemed different, though it was still dark out he could see better than he could remember ever seeing in such dim light.  
He noticed he had a ledge outside his balcony and stepped out onto it. Looking up, he noticed there was what, to him, looked like a path above the arch.  
_Hm...__ I wonder __what's__ up there?_ After a second, he decided just wondering was not going to do any good.  
So he climbed.

Eclipse sat meditating on his open balcony. His people had not overly enjoyed sunlight for some time, so he much preferred to enjoy the open air at night.

The sky was almost the same color as a blue flame, but darker. The stars could still be seen, but not the sun, yet. The red moon was waxing low in the sky, and the wind was starting to pick up, whistling up the side of the mountain. It made for a calming faint roar, like the sound of waves breaking against the shore.

Only the distant sound of the occasional bird or monster broke into the sound of the wind, but was more beneficial to the effect rather than an interruption.

Eclipse breathed in deeply, allowing himself to relax. _Ah, the birds, all of nature, the wind, and the stars...One day you will all be mine._

Then a sound broke his pleasant thoughts. A scrape of something against stone. Like a person slipping slightly on some stairs...

Drake grabbed the stiff frame of his window, having nearly slipped. He took a second to try and regain his balance, and then continued up, his boots scraping against the dark shingles.  
Once he got over the window it was easier, just a bit further and he'd be at the top.

Eclipse stood, turned so he was facing the building, and looked up toward the top of the tower. Eclipse was at the top of the tower but for one floor. Drake's rooms were above his. By Eclipse's instructions, in fact.

True, the top of the tower was a privileged spot, but Eclipse was not so bothered. He was only a few meters lower in his rooms, and this way, it _looked_ like he thought Drake was above him, in _control _of him... So less questions. Also, should anything happen, he was constantly between Drake and everyone else in the palace.

Still, Eclipse looked up; he had good eyes too, and was able to see the small dark form moving on the ledges. So, showing that he was more nimble than he looked, he too climbed up onto the side of the building. He was faster, and stronger than one would believe. He seemed to navigate the wall as if he had done this a few times before. Perhaps he had.

Drake got to the top and climbed up, looking at the 'path' and wondering, _Now__... why did I want up here?_

Eclipse quickly and silently circled around the other side of the roof, and then climbed up top, so he was standing a little way behind Drake. Hopefully the boy will not have noticed him. He hoped not...this might actually be... fun.

Drake looked at the path, which... just went and circled up the tower to a platform he'd seen dragons land on a few times.  
So! Now he was up high... and still bored. _Drat..._

Eclipse glided silently closer to Drake. Choosing when to move carefully so that the morning breeze would carry away what little sound his footsteps made. Once he was close enough to Drake, he reached out a pale hand...

...and grasped the boy's shoulder. Fast and firm enough to cause a shock, but gentle enough so that it wouldn't hurt him, and wouldn't make him think Eclipse was going to hurt him when he realized who it was.

Drake flipped out.  
Not a little bit.  
A lot.  
He screamed and kicked backward as hard as he could, flames erupted around him for a second as he moved forward and then spun around to see who'd grabbed him.

Eclipse grunted slightly at the kick. It had caught him right under the kneecap! The fire however, he had been prepared for. He was still able to control Drake's power, with effort. Most effectively when he was expecting it. Drake still lashed out on instinct a lot, and Eclipse bent to rub his knee while giving Drake a glare. A glare that said he was in trouble for sneaking out, _and_ not controlling his powers properly.

Drake knew that look... that look said 'busted'. He put his hands behind his back and bowed his head apologetically. "... sorry?"

Eclipse sighed. "What are you doing up here?" He asked the boy, his voice was not angry, but still demanded an answer. The inability to control his own power could wait till the morning...

Down below, a bell chimed, just loud enough to hear. Five o'clock.

Drake shrugged. "I was bored... I didn't think anyone else was awake, and I'd never been up here before. Just wanted to see what was here." he explained, truthfully. "I didn't know you were awake," which secretly meant; 'I didn't think anyone would know I snuck out'  
Drake was a fan of exploring things— he couldn't help it. He wanted to find everything out and he loved to be up high.  
It got him in trouble... quite a bit, but he had no desire to stop.

"Why didn't you ask?" Eclipse inquired, "I might have taken you." The response wasn't sarcastic. It sounded sincere, and it might well have been.

Drake shrugged yet again, "I didn't know you were awake."

Eclipse considered this. Perhaps he should shove the child off... let him fall for a while before using his magick to save him. That should teach him his lesson!

But no... that would cost the boy's trust. He couldn't afford that, even if it would be fun. He might even tell his parents. Which even if they didn't believe him, would make them suspicious...

In the end, he just sighed. "We will talk more about this tomorrow. Perhaps not leaving the tower for the _whole _day will show you how important it is that you don't wander off. Especially to dangerous places." Eclipse said, and then turned his back on the boy, telling him that it was final.

Drake's eyes widened. Not be allowed to leave the tower for the entire day?  
"But, but, but... But that's boring!" Drake complained.  
It was useless... with Eclipse, begging hardly ever worked when he'd already made a decision... didn't mean Drake wouldn't try.  
"I didn't know you were awake, I was bored!"

"Then you should have come to wake me up. Or waited. There is no excuse." Eclipse informed him. He would not accept such a pitiful argument, even if the boy was polite for not wanting to wake him, and too young to really make a real argument. He refused to make him weak.

Eclipse climbed carefully back onto the ledge, and began climbing down. He knew Drake would follow.

Drake followed his advisor, complaining the whole way. "But I didn't want to bother anyone!"  
He wasn't nearly as good at following Eclipse back down, but he managed.  
It just wasn't fair! He hadn't wanted to cause problems, he'd just been bored. Now he was being punished for it.  
"Why do I have to stay inside the tower the whole day? ... ... Fifteen minutes? An hour? An hour is forever! Not the whole daaaaaay!"

"If you keep complaining, it will be _two_ days." Eclipse threatened.

In fact, this would allow him extra time to work on teaching the boy to use his powers, and observe if there had yet been any noticeable changes. Most fortunate, really.

He continued down to Drake's balcony and climbed over the rail, then turned to help the prince back in.

"It's not fair when the punishment can get bigger..." Drake pouted, but accepted the help over the railing.

He really hadn't meant to cause problems...

_... __Midnight...__ Midnight is the end of the day. __I'll__ just go out then,_ he silently decided.

_Midnight_? Eclipse thought. He was trying to observe the boy's thoughts subtly. However, this had mostly eluded him. All he had gathered was 'midnight'. He would have to watch the young prince... He was a crafty one. Less obedient than he would have liked.

The robed adviser ignored Drake's comment about fairness, "Go back to bed for a couple of hours. You still look pale," he recommended in a way that made it clear that's what he wanted Drake to do.

Then he headed for the door. Climbing out the window would have been a... bad example.

Drake walked to his bed, and crawled in obediently. "Okay..."

**19 Hours Later**

Drake was at the bridge. The archway that lead to the rest of the castle, watching the clock like a fang waiting to pounce on a Mu.

He... couldn't tell time, really... but he knew when both the dragon wings pointed to the top two numbers that it was midnight.

And the moment that happened... he was **out** of there.

Drake ran through the hall like an Ash out of Hades kingdom.

Eclipse arranged it so that he was waiting in the shadows at the end of the hall. Midnight... and where else would he go? He'd be _severely_ disappointed if he tried to get to the top of the tower again. It would be foolish, even for a boy his age. Eclipse expected better. Still, he had asked Ellipsis to keep an eye out there for the boy.

Down here, he was now hearing the fast and completely unmasked footsteps coming closer. He waited....

Drake looked behind him for a moment as he ran, then back forward... he wasn't, exactly, breaking the rules, but he was worried about getting caught.

_I'm__ not doing anything wrong... I waited the whole day._ He told himself, though he knew he had reason to fear being caught.

Maybe he'd go find his parents... they wouldn't be mad at him for leaving the tower so soon, would they?

Once Drake had run past him, Eclipse stepped out of the shadows. He could sense the fear of getting caught in the boy. If he had come down here thinking it was all right, and he wouldn't be punished— Eclipse probably would have let him off... And even now, a certain disrespect for the rules... it showed strong character that would be useful in years to come... But he was deliberately disobeying him. Eclipse could not have that.

"Where are you going?" Eclipse said loudly, not quite a shout, but almost. It carried a long way down the dark and silent corridor.

Drake stopped dead. He hadn't even... but Eclipse did seem to appear out of nowhere at times.  
Drake's mind went through a few thoughts, one part of him yelled that he should have been more careful, stealthy, sneaky... the other part saying he was wrong to have broken the rules in the first place... The first voice was winning and after a long moment, he turned around with as innocent a look on his face as he could give.

"I'm just going to find mommy."  
It wasn't, 'I was' it was in no way past tense. That is what he was doing, not what he _HAD_ been doing before he'd gotten caught.

"Oh? And why is that? It's very late." Eclipse said to the young boy, crossing his arms and eyeing the boy with some scrutiny. "You wouldn't want to wake them, would you?"

Drake thought about that a moment... No, he wouldn't want to wake them.  
"They might not be asleep," he replied.  
It was a bold move... probably a stupid move, but he caught himself walking again... away from the tower.

"Be careful then, your mother always gets so _angry_ when she is woken up..." Eclipse warned, not moving to follow him. He gambled that a child his age wouldn't ask _how_ Eclipse knew that, and just take it for fact.

Drake stopped again. "... Angry?"  
He wondered... would she be mad at him? If they knew he'd been punished, would they be especially mad?  
His father— come to think of it, his father had never punished him. His mother had, once, when he'd met this annoying pink-haired girl and asked if she was possessed, he was put in time-out for five minutes... Though they did not punishing him, they had never seemed to oppose to any of the punishments Eclipse gave...

"I should think so. It is _very_ late." Eclipse said, his voice sounding a little sympathetic. Then he turned away as if to leave, but did not take a single step yet.

Drake frowned, not liking the idea of upsetting his parents... Reluctantly, he also turned back toward the tower and headed back to his room where he'd already spent most of the day.

**Next Day**

Preparing to meet the king of _any_ land is considered a big event. However, Eclipse, who was currently readying to do just that, would be the first to tell you that it got very monotonous when you had to do it every day….  
Eclipse had known the King for years and years now. Since before Drake was born, but would he get away with a crease in his robes? No way. It was a good thing Eclipse was a naturally neat person, or this might have driven him mad by now.

Eclipse leisurely made his way to the throne room as he did nearly every day. Was forced to wait long, frustrating moments to be let in, like he had to _every_ day...

Eventually he was allowed in, and was soon standing before the king. Only the slightest hint of boredom on his face.

Chaucer looked over. "Ah, you're a bit late today. I'd like it if you would join me for supper, and bring Drake. I haven't gotten to see him in a long time."

Drake was still somewhat ill, and Eclipse was keen to keep that hidden as much as possible, so he reached out with his mind as he often did with the King. For a man in such a high place, he was also easy to manipulate.

"Of course, your highness. Are you _quite_ sure you want Drake to come?" Eclipse asked, while subtly implanting a feeling of uncertainty. Why risk dominating his mind with guards and readers close by, when he could quickly put a feeling in there, and allow semantics to do the rest?

Chaucer paused, seeming to think things through. "... Am I... No... No, Drake doesn't need to come. If he wants to, he can."

Eclipse grins inwardly. "Yes, sir. I'm sure you are very _busy_ anyway." The robed man said to the king, his tone neutral, but his mind was reaching out and giving the King the same feeling you have when stressed out with an enormous workload.

"Yes... now that you mention it, I have a lot of things to do... Yes. I have that meeting..." Chaucer rubbed his goatee, suddenly remembering all the things he needed to do... most hadn't seemed so important till now, but he could profit by getting them done.  
"Drake will see me if he needs me," he concluded.

"Yes, if he needs you..." Eclipse echoed, reinforcing the thought with his mind as he bowed. "I shall leave you to your business."

The king nodded dismissively, already preparing plans for the rest of the day.

Eclipse headed out of the room, pleased with himself. The king had always been this way, and it made it so easy for Eclipse to slowly corrupt the man's mind over time. Make him think how Eclipse _wanted_ him to think.

* * *

So that is what he did. Over the next six months, he widened the gap between father and son. Every time a bridge started to be built by either side over the abyss, Eclipse would burn it down instantly, and secretly. Both of them were aware of the void, but not of the horrible monster that lived down there.

Drake kept getting worse... At first he'd just felt tired, now he hurt all the time. He couldn't leave his room, he couldn't hardly get out of bed...

His father hadn't come to see him— not once. And when Drake tried to go see him, he got too tired before he could even leave the tower, or Eclipse would notice Drake was very pale and suggest he go back to his room.

Drake stopped caring if Chaucer came or not. Eclipse was right; any caring parent would never abandon their sick son.

Marina still came, though. Drake liked that.

"I still don't feel good."

"I know, Dracul, but you'll get better soon." Marina promised,_Hopefully_…  
She was worried... it was hard, since Chaucer became so busy suddenly, and Marina needed to be with him much of the time.

She didn't like leaving her son alone when he was sick. His illness was a mystery. It wasn't a cold, wasn't a flu, wasn't any type of virus they knew of, nor childhood illness everyone gets... but he was so pale all the time, and his eyes... were changing color. They were darker. It seemed like they were turning blood-red and most of the time already looked like they had.

Eclipse was on his balcony, below Drake's room. He knew the Queen was in there with him. It had been so easy getting his father to stay away, but the queen was stubborn. Always fighting his attempts to make her stay away. He supposed it would be expected, with the boy as sick as he was. Eclipse may have underestimated how debilitated the boy would become. He was even starting to consider the possibility that the boy would not survive.

That would be a shame. All that work for nothing. He _was_ fortunate though, that the Queen did not suspect him of causing the illness. That would be problematic. She still had a lot of influence over the boy, and could fire Ellipsis and him. That would not do. It was time to see that she was out of the way, too. Time to alienate Drake from her.

If Drake was going to survive the change, Eclipse was sure it would finally be complete in the next couple of weeks. That's when he would act...

"Dracul..." the Queen was back in Drake's room a week later.

Drake wasn't completely awake, but he was as close to being so as he'd been in a few days. "You got sick after that little trip... do you remember what happened?"

Drake heard the question, and weird images flashed through his head... images he weren't sure were even true. "Saw a dragon..." he replied quietly.

Marina blinked a few times. "... Like a Grand Dragon? Like the ones outside?"

"No... red... red dragon."

"... Red...?" Marina tried to think of what... red dragon? Her mind stopped on a legend—, but before she could fully remember it, she saw Drake's plushy red dragon on his bedside table. "Oh... Red dragon."

"Yeah..."

Marina sighed as Drake fell asleep, then she got up and quietly walked out.

Eclipse emerged from the shadows in the room a moment after the queen left. Drake was starting to remember. Eclipse was sure that was a good sign for the change, but that had been too close. He had seen the legend being recalled in the Queen's mind.

If Drake did not complete the change in the next week, or the queen started to find out things again... he might have to arrange an 'accident', but that would be messy.

Drake would forget again once the change was complete. Once he was fully conscious again, and not half in the realm of dreams.

Queen Marina thought about what her son had said for a moment.  
A red dragon... He had a toy dragon that was red; it was his favorite one.  
Nevertheless, she couldn't forget the first thought that had come into her mind... a legend she'd heard as a child...

**Prophecy**

There have always been dragons.  
They were walking before man, hunting before fangs, and flying before birds.

The dragon gods ruled before any other form of royalty existed.

And the two main ones were in a constant battle.  
The fire dragon fought aggressively for control of the world. He was primal, he was destructive, and he was the most powerful. Cináed, the fire dragon, had taken over Amon, the wind dragon's territory. The electric dragon, Fafnir, was next to be taken over…

Okeanos, the water dragon, had teamed up with Poseidon, the earth dragon, rather than take over. The teamed up pair were able to keep a majority of the territory, but Cináed became more and more aggressive.

When the humans came, the power struggle heightened. Okeanos and Cináed's rivalry grew worse as they tried to take over human villages.  
Cináed favored giving people power, transforming them into dragon like beings.

Okeanos gave his followers power as well. He gave them great knowledge, and the ability to gain more. He also gave them basic elemental magick, and chose one family to rule. To them he bestowed them the aquatic abilities to create water, control it, and harvest it for energy.

Cináed's followers became the Occultations. They were as close to being dragons as anything could get. The stronger they were, the more demonic their appearance—cursed with power. The light began to give them problems; they couldn't use their full powers when daylight struck them.  
Their island became a jungle of trees and caves—a dark, shadowy place. At the center of their massive island was a grand volcano where the fire dragon lived.  
Cináed made his presence overly apparent. He wanted his followers willing to die for him, too want to fight if he told them to. He was starting a war—and needed his army as ruthless and evil as he was. He gave them immortality so they would not fear death, and you couldn't get a better army than one who didn't think they could die.  
Death was possible for them, of course, but the stronger you were the harder you fell.

Okeanos and Poseidon saw this. They knew what was coming, and hatched a plan.  
There was a sacred power Cináed held— a fire spirit that allowed him to give his followers their power. This spirit was the fire dragon's very essence, its source of power. While the other elemental dragons had retained their spirits within them, the fire element released his and while the other dragons faded away, Cináed stayed strong as ever. That dragon spirit was the reason. It was destined to be great—it was developing into a soul which would be reborn and would hold all the powers of Cináed and contain the power to destroy the other dragons completely.  
The Occultations worshiped this spirit, and awaited its earthbound arrival. It was their assurance that they would remain in control—that even if Cináed faded he would be able to return; they went to calling it Dragon, giving it a name as if it were already alive.

Poseidon stole it.

Poseidon knew his time was coming to an end, he was fading and nothing was going to stop that. Going down without a fight, as the others had, was not in him. He wanted to go down with a righteous act, so he stole Dragon and flew swiftly back to Okeanos and gave the spirit to him.  
They acted fast, after that, because Cináed was enraged and prepared his army to go after the two other dragons.  
Okeanos and Poseidon fused their powers and attacked Cináed's island with all their might.  
The earth shook and the waves plowed into the island—the fiercest storm it had ever before taken. The volcano erupted with Cináed's rage, but his main source of power was gone, and he could not save the island.  
It sank. It sank till it was only a fourth of its original size, and the volcano had crumbled into itself—using up the last of Poseidon's stored energy. He went into hibernation as the other gods had. Resting, and letting the sentient beings rune the world, acting only when called for.  
Most of the inhabitants were killed. Drowned, crushed, burned…  
Two groups remained: the Pure Occultations who had the demonic appearance and the major power, and the 'Lessers' who appeared human.  
They still sought after Dragon. It became their only hope of obtaining all that they had lost.

The prophecy was the most important thing.  
A child would be born with the flame ability. That child would be the Dragon—and Cináed would awaken. If it was the right soul, the prophesized one, then Cináed would know.

The Occultations began searching for the soul, knowing it would have to be born eventually.  
Even as Okeanos quieted down and vanished from view, the Occultations searched.  
Just because it was taken, did not mean it was lost. No matter what—it would eventually transfer to the cycle of souls and be born by a host that would be able to contain its powers.  
It would be its own person. Maybe kind and gentle, or maybe primal and fierce as Cináed was, but it would be theirs once again.

No matter what.

* * *

Drake woke up feeling... strange. He still felt awful, but the idea of staying in bed made him feel worse... he had to move.  
He got up and pulled his slippers on, went to the door and opened it.  
The guards were asleep. That was somewhat strange. Convenient, but strange.  
That was when he smelt it... something... something nice.  
Drake looked around, but it was late... it was doubtful anyone would be awake, so he continued down the stairs, and then across the bridge to the palace.  
It never crossed his mind that he shouldn't have been able to see in such darkness, he just... could. His vision had been blurry for so long, now he could see and that was all that mattered.  
He could see, and he could walk, and he could smell, and something smelt good. Needed.  
Drake was hungry... he hadn't eaten anything in a long, long while.  
He walked to the kitchen and found the source of the scent.  
Maphox Tonic.  
A popular drink among his parents and their friends, but they never let Drake have any. It was made from the roots of a very hard to find flower and was full of caffeine.  
Not something many parents wanted a young child to have, especially one already as energetic as Drake was.  
Someone must have forgotten to put it away. A whole bottle rested on the stone counter, just above his reach.  
Drake went into the dining room and grabbed a chair. It slid across the tile with a scratching sound. If he had been trying to be stealthy, he as doing a poor job.  
But no, Drake didn't care if he woke someone up. He felt better and just wanted that drink. If his parents woke up, he'd explain it to them— not that Drake thought Chaucer would care, but Marina would. He'd tell her he was feeling better and she'd just be happy.  
He pushed the chair up to the counter and climbed up, taking the glass bottle and drinking from it happily.

* * *

  
Marina shivered in her sleep, hearing some scraping sound that didn't quite make sense in her nightmares. She wanted to wake up, but she couldn't— couldn't escape these haunting thoughts.  
Her poor Chaucer, screaming in pain... Something had happened, she hadn't been there... she needed to be with him now... but there were other images, trying to explain the sound she'd heard. Demons scratching at the walls, climbing through the windows. Horrible monsters creeping through her palace.

Eclipse cracked his neck as he walked toward the kitchen. It had been some time since he had last used this power, and it was a strange sensation no matter how many times he did it. The new body 'felt' completely different. Skin tightened in different places, bones popped at random, it seemed. Not to mention everything looked a different size from the change in height. And these stupid lady's boots. How was he supposed to sneak around in these? A mu wearing tap shoes would be quieter.

At least this time he didn't have to be quiet.... The person he was going to see was certainly making no effort.

Drake heard footsteps but ignored them. For once, he was completely sure that he wasn't doing anything wrong— the most he could get in trouble for was drinking all the Maphox Tonic, but that was hardly cause for complaint. After how sick he'd been, Drake figured any possible anger would just turn to relief.

Eclipse reached out and opened the kitchen door, and by the time his first footstep inside the room sounded, he was completely in character. He rubbed his eyes as if just woken, and leaned against the doorframe tiredly.

"Drake?" Eclipse asked hoarsely. He was pleased by the effect; it almost made him feel thirsty just from hearing himself. But more importantly, the major change was that it was Queen Marina's voice that was heard.

Drake looked over and smiled, still holding the glass bottle.  
"Mommy!" He grinned.  
Drake was about to say more when something... rather surprising happened.

Eclipse did not even hesitate. Did not even give a care to the result of what he was about to do to the boy. His only concern was being able to do it convincingly enough.

He screamed.

Not just any scream. A scream in the voice of Queen Marina, even though he doubted that her throat had _ever_ produced such a scream. It was blood curdling. The kind of scream that you read about in books that sent a shiver down the spine of people just able to hear it, and nearly stopped the hearts of people in the same room.

It was so full of anger. So full of blind hatred, that it was sure to have given nightmares to the guards that simply could not wake.

Drake jumped— startled by the horrible scream. His hand involuntarily released the glass bottle, which shattered on the floor in a black mess. Her scream was full of fury and yet fear accompanied it. Her eyes were wide and full of hatred.  
Drake half fell, half jumped off the chair he'd been standing on and hurriedly tried to pick up the glass bits.

"I'm sorry!" He kept repeating over and over, trying to figure out what he'd done so wrong.

The fear in her voice got to him... why fear? Hadn't she wanted him to get better?  
She... she'd wanted him to get better... at least he thought so.  
So why was she screaming like this? Fury, rage, and fear all combined... why?!

For the first time out of training, Eclipse fired a spell at Drake. It was Holy, possibly the most powerful offensive spell Drake's mother knew, but he made sure to hold back. He couldn't actually cast Holy by himself, his magick was not that type, he had to use a special item. An orb that contained the spell. He then used his magick to counteract the force of the Holy spell. To dull it to about a tenth of its usual strength. Eclipse could _easily _kill the boy in such a weak state. He didn't want that.

Of course, all this happened in a split second, and the boy, at his young age, would have no idea of what had just happened. A fully trained mage would only notice the weak power, and not realize why. Drake had no chance...

Drake shrieked, completely surprised and was fiercely thrown back, causing the glass he'd been holding to dislodge from his grip and tear at his arms and hands.  
His mother kept screaming, cursing the mess now. Drake just kept repeating that he was sorry, that it was OK, he felt better now... she didn't listen.  
Drake felt pain in his arms and noticed the cuts were a lot worse than he'd expected, they hurt badly and bled everywhere.

"Please!" he begged. "Help me!"

He cried to her... begged, sobbed... it hurt so bad, he pleaded with her to help him.  
And she left.  
She left, while he cried out to her, over and over... and he didn't see her look back, not once.

Eclipse had assessed the wounds. They were bleeding pretty badly, he hadn't really meant to hurt the prince that much, but, it could work to his advantage.

As he walked out, he was deciding how long to take to come back... he had wanted to leave him all night, but the cuts _needed_ attention... if Drake died, Eclipse would lose nearly all that he had gained, and his people would never return to full power-- he would never rule this world. Drake was vital to all his plans, but he was never going to let the boy know that... still, he had to be careful when his prince was still so small.

Drake sat there, huddled in a corner, crying and not knowing what to do. He hugged his arms to him, trying to get the pain to stop. He couldn't bring himself to get up and go after her... he couldn't convince himself to go anywhere, so he just sat there wondering what had happened. The nightmares had stopped and he couldn't even remember them, the constant pain, the feeling of being on the brink of death was gone! His vision had cleared, some of his energy had returned, and yet somehow it was all worse now? Shouldn't his mother have been happy? And where was Chaucer? Surely, after such noise someone would have woken up...  
Was it him? His mind wondered this. Was he the reason she screamed, did he actually scare her? Had she wanted him sick so he couldn't use his powers, and had secretly feared them all along? Was he that detestable?  
His thoughts turned to slight anger.  
He'd been doing his best, learning to control the fire, the quakes, everything! He'd done all they asked of him and this was how he was repaid?  
_Never again..._ his thoughts whispered, _Never__ trust her. __Never again._

Eclipse took his time changing back, and getting into his regular clothes. He even spent a few minutes on his balcony, taking in the seldom seen sight of the tower seeming to be built on a cloud...

Then he headed back down to the kitchen. He strolled in like he had no idea what to expect, then he faked slight shock.

"Drake?" he asked, confused, or so it would seem to anyone.

Drake looked up and saw Eclipse. He said nothing; not knowing what to say, deciding there was no explanation he could give, or simply because his own confusion was too great. For perhaps the first time in his life, he preferred silence rather than ranting about an event he wasn't clear on.

Eclipse sighed, but didn't ask anything. He came into the room, and walked calmly over to Drake, picking up a white towel as he went. The glass cracked as it was crushed under his feet.

Without a word, he began to treat the cuts. You didn't get to be his age without learning how to treat wounds, and fortunately, the boy being as shocked as he was, made him easier to help.

Drake stayed quiet, his bright red eyes watching Eclipse.

"... ... I'm sorry..." he finally whispered.

"What for?" Eclipse asked as he worked.

He had lit some lanterns and was working on picking glass out of the boy's hands. It was delicate work, so he didn't look up as he spoke.

"I must cause problems..." Drake said quietly. "No one can stand being around me..."

Eclipse pulled a small shard of glass carefully out of the boy's palm before speaking.

"That's not true." he said, and if you didn't know better, you would be sure you heard affection in his voice, "I can stand to be around you. You're just... gifted. They don't understand that."

"I scare them, don't I?" Drake asked.  
A large part of him didn't want to know the answer to that... the other part wanted an answer for what had happened tonight.

"Most people fear those with power, or special abilities." Eclipse said, matter-of-factly. "But that is their fault, not yours." He added, while dabbing away the blood of a smaller cut.

Drake looked at the cuts, "Is it bad? It hurts..."

The bleeding seemed to have mostly stopped. At least enough that he could walk without leaving a trail of blood. A quick glance at the clock said that it would be light before long. Eclipse knew that if morning came, his spell on the guards and royals would wear off. He needed to sort this out before then...

Drake waited for an answer, silently.

"You'll be alright," Eclipse said and gave a slight smile. A very slight smile. "Come on, let's get you back to the tower, we'll finish fixing these there."

He stood up from the kitchen stool, and went to hold the door open for the boy. Meanwhile, he was slowly allowing the maid in the next room to wake up, while implanting the task in her head. To clean up the glass and blood. She'd do it before she even realized, then probably remember it like a dream, until it was a distant and faded memory.

Drake got up and sidestepped the glass. Walking silently, a trait not usual for him, he followed Eclipse back to the tower.

Eclipse led the boy to and up the tower, making sure to hold all the doors for him. Until eventually, they made it to Drake's rooms. Once inside, Eclipse instructed him to sit in a chair that was in a 'living room' style part of the rooms. It was quite the contradiction; the room was fit for royalty, with red and gold velvet carpets and curtains. Ornate furniture and even a fancy fireplace. Scattered around were various toys, despite several visits from a maid every day.

"Wait here, I am going to go get a doctor." Eclipse instructed as he turned to leave.

Drake sat down in the red leather chair that rested against one wall. A bookshelf was to his right and an ornate table with a gold pyramid shaped lamp was to his left. A Zemzelett doll and a Yan plushy were in the corner by Drake.

A few of his toys were around, spilling out of the dark oak and gold chest in the corner opposite of him.  
A fluffy Mu and a puffy Bandersnatch, a pack of miniature Fangs, a Cactaur and a Feather Circle pillow, an Amdusias figure next to an Axolotl figure, three Behemoth's (one plushy, one wood, and one silver with gemstones of the appropriate colors), a stone Dracozombie was on a little table with a stone Epitaph, on the floor next to it was a plushy Dragonfly, a Gargoyle statue with a glass top made another table holding a three Grand Dragon statues of stone, gold, and oak, there were a few other Grand Dragon plushy toys of varying sizes tossed about along with a griffon or two and about five Red Dragon's that differed from his favorite toy, an Ironite wall banner was hanging over a stone Nymph table which held a Python figure, a shell dragon, and a Serpion doll. In the center of the wood floor was a giant rug with five dragons. A red one, a yellow one, white, green, and blue all surrounding a blood red orb that glowed. He had toy dragons specially designed for him in the same colors. His red dragon was in his room still, he remembered he'd left it there when he'd gotten up.

Eclipse arranged his now short gray hair so it wasn't in his eyes. His gray tunic was too tight, but it would do. The long gray goatee itched a bit, but was an interesting experience. Still, he had no time to waste; he quickly opened a drawer and took out a small blue orb, slipping it into his pocket. A healing spell that he had acquired from the Island.

Then it was back to Drake's room. He moved now with the awkwardness of a person losing the flexibility that they once had. Slow, and with the slightly crooked stature of a man with chronic back problems. He entered the room with a friendly smile lighting up his pale green eyes.

"A'llo there, Son" He said, his accent rather noticeable, but his voice was friendly.

Drake watched the man with cautious eyes "... hi."

The 'doctor' saw the boy's look, and smiled warmly. "I'ma Doctar, Yer Adveyeser sent me."

_Adveyeser._ Drake snickered inwardly, trying hard to fight the outward smile and losing.

"Righ' then, lets us ava looka tha cuts.." The doctor said, and held out his old hands gently, a clear indication he wanted to see the boy's hands.

Drake still wasn't too sure about this stranger. He wasn't in a very trusting mood.  
Slowly, he held out his hands revealing the wounds.  
_Oh well... if things get scary I can just burn him,_ he decided.

When he was injured, he'd noticed, his power worked easier, stronger, fiercer. When he was bleeding, his power doubled...

The man took his hands gently with one hand, and then removed the orb from his pocket with the other. He held it over the boys cut hands and arm, and within moments, a unique type of healing spell was cast. It had the same light that surrounded the boy as Curaga, but was different... and left the scars. It still removed all the pain, though. When it was over, the orb was gone.

Drake watched the blue orb with a fascinated gaze. When it was done, Drake looked at his arms and hands. The pain was completely gone, but the small scars remained, just barely noticeable.  
It confused him for a moment. Why should there be scars? There had never been scar before when Marina had used her cure spells.  
He was about to say something, but... the scars weren't all that noticeable. In time, he bet they'd go away...

"Thank you..."

"Thar yer go, son. Yer welcome." The doctor said, and smiled. He stood up slowly, and brushed some silver dust from his hand, where the orb had been.

* * *

**Blessed readers, please review ^_^**


	5. Chapter 4: Last Chance Trip

**Hello everyone! Welcome to Chapter 4! Thank you so much for your reviews! **

**Chapter 4: **_**Last Chance Trip**_

* * *

**A Few Years Later**

Drake sat on the roof over his room, near the platform where he'd seen dragons land countless times.

His opinions on the world had changed in the past few years. He didn't turn to his parents for anything, and he became much more independent. His father was still always busy; his mother had spent months devoting her time entirely to Chaucer.  
Her son had been on the brink of death… and she'd turned her attention to Chaucer… completely. Drake wouldn't go near her, either. When they did end up in the same room, she cast him nervous glances and he left as soon as possible.

Marina had come to Drake, eventually. Walked over when he was in the public library below the palace. She asked him why _he_ was avoiding her.  
Drake asked about what had happened in the kitchen. Why she'd screamed, how she could leave him there hurt. Why she'd hurt him...  
Marina had looked confused, then… unsure, a bit worried. It took her a full two minutes before she shook her head and denied everything.

Nevertheless, Drake had the scars on his arms. There was no denying it—he had the proof permanently carved into his arms. He wanted that proof gone; he did. Normal kids his age had basic wounds. Scabs on their knees from playing, weapon practice, bumps and bruises… He had nothing of the sort, other than the scars on his arms.  
Drake healed amazingly well, and fast. He didn't get sick anymore, not even common colds or the flu.

Ever since he'd gotten them, people had eyed those scars like they were curses. Drake was beginning to be old enough to see why. Marks like that on a person's arms and wrists usually meant a brutal event, a mental disability, something to be ashamed of. What answer did he have for them?

'Oh? These scars? I cut myself when I was nearly six while cleaning up glass and my mother fired Holy at me.'

No… he hid them as best he could. Long sleeves at all times, but that was becoming a problem. He was old enough to start weapon training.

Archery was Drake's talent. He was excellent at hand to hand and whips, great at sword fighting, ok with spears…  
Nevertheless, he favored archery and newly invented firearms. He already had a composite bow, and a long bow. His teachers were always impressed with how advanced he was.  
Eclipse worked with him on magick a lot. He was getting good—but he wasn't perfect… he still lost control every now and then.

Tomorrow was his eighth birthday.

He was celebrating it by having, so far, successfully snuck onto the roof.  
Eclipse didn't like Drake wandering off. He said something might happen.  
Yet… here he was, watching the stars slowly fade away.

--

Chaucer was awake, pacing his room. Something was wrong he could feel it. He'd missed something, overlooked it… that's when he finally remembered his son.

"Chaucer… come back to bed, it's too early," Marina yawned.

"I cannot sleep… I've been thinking."

"Oh? What about?"

"Drake," Chaucer sighed.

Marina woke up further. "Dracul?"

"Yes… He's so distant. I feel like it's our fault. I want to fix that."

"… How?" Marina listened intently. She, too, felt at a loss on what to do.

"… Ah! I know! I'll bring Drake hunting with me!" Chaucer stated.

"… Hunting? You think Drake will like that?" Marina wondered.

"Well, the hunting isn't why you go. It's the outdoors experience that's the fun part. Just me and him, it'll be perfect."

"… Oh my, I think that's a grand idea, Chaucer!"

"Yes. I'll get him later today and we'll leave tonight! We'll go up north, I don't think he's ever seen snow… he'll love it!"

Marina had some doubts on that… "Ice is dangerous for him, Chaucer."

"I know, but I have an old friend who I know is currently up there. It would be safest to be sure we're not around many people and I am sure it will be safe." Chaucer replied, giving an assured nod.

"Oh friend…? Oh!" Marina smiled. "Severo hasn't met Dracul yet, has he?"

--

Eclipse was lying in bed. After spending his days looking after an ever increasingly curious and powerful young boy, he often enjoyed his time 'alone'. The previous night in particular, when some idiot had decided it would be a grand idea to give the Prince a bag of candy, he'd had a nasty headache that was only now starting to go away.

As if on cue, Ellipsis burst into the room. After closing the door, he went on to explain what he had just heard the King and Queen say. Ellipsis was often given the task to gather information, keep an eye on the royals and run other errands. This allowed Eclipse to spend most of his time with the boy. He needed to be watched closer and closer every day. As powerful as Eclipse was, he couldn't be in two places at the same time. So, he had found a way.

Eclipse rested his head back down on the pillow and sighed. "Very well, I shall deal with it…" he said to Ellipsis.

"But how—?" Ellipsis started, but was interrupted.

"I'll deal with it." Eclipse broke in, speaking firmly, but not loudly. He knew Drake was on the roof again… but he would allow that, for now. Eclipse also had much better hearing now. "Go and try to find me some thicker robes..."

"You're going to go too?" The blue-robed Ellipsis asked, but Eclipse's only reply was a warning glare.

So Ellipsis headed out of the room, and Eclipse's glare turned to a small smile as an idea came to him. Perhaps this trip would be beneficial after all. He rested his head back on his pillow and glanced over to the cheerfully burning fire on the other side of the room. He did dislike the cold.

--

Drake had a new game. It was a staring contest with a Grand Dragon that had landed on the platform.

"Rrrrrrawr."

"RAAAAAAWWR!!!!"

Drake raised his eyebrows. "Okay, you win."

The dragon flapped its wings and roared again.

Drake didn't imitate that, he didn't have wings... he wished he had wings.

"Drake?"

Drake's head snapped to the side, hearing his name from a very unfamiliar voice. "... Dad?"

"Drake! Come on, we're—... where are you?" Chaucer looked around the room. He was going to check the balcony; however… he wasn't a big fan of heights.

Drake debated just staying silent— but... he was curious as to what the King could possibly want with him.  
He was better at getting down now; hardly slipped and wasn't as afraid of falling as he used to be.

Drake jumped down and landed on his balcony. "What?"

Chaucer turned back to the balcony. "Oh, I hadn't seen you there. Get ready, you and I are going hunting," he said in a cheerful voice.

Drake gave him a confused look. "... What?"

"Get ready, dress **warm**! You and I are going hunting." Chaucer repeated, still with the same cheerful voice though he did notice Drake hadn't come any closer.

Drake stared at him, still. "... What?"

"Hunting! Camping, I'm sure you've read about it. I am taking you up north to a hunting spot my father used to take me to." Chaucer replied, again.

"Why?" Drake shook his head.

"Fun! Besides, you and I haven't done anything in..."

"Three years six months two weeks and five days," Drake finished in an un-amused voice.

"... Get your warmest clothes, pack for about a week, and then meet me downstairs in the study on the west wing." Chaucer hadn't been able to tell if Drake really did have the days so well memorized, or if he was being sarcastic… but sarcasm was the best bet.

"... Why?"

"For fun!"

"How is that fun?"

"Drake... It'll be fun, trust me—,"

"Why?"

Chaucer grinned. "You'll see," he promised and walked out the door.

"..." Drake was rather annoyed by that... but... his curiosity out powered the annoyance. "But fun how?!" He called and walked further into his room.

--

Eclipse had heard. Of course he had heard. He had heard the footsteps of the King and his guards coming up the tower, and the King had a voice that carried pretty well. His balcony allowed him to hear every word. He was slightly satisfied with the way the boy spoke to his father now; hardly any respect at all, but he didn't have time to feel pleased with himself. Drake would not take long to pack, so Eclipse only waited four or five minutes before leaving his room and making his way to the west study.

He knocked on the door lightly. It was standard ceremony for guards to be at the door of the throne room, but the kingdom had no enemies, that they knew of, so security was not taken as seriously as it might have been. Hence, there were no guards at the door, nor probably, inside.

Chaucer was busying himself with preparations for the trip. "Come in!" He called.

Eclipse opened the door, and closed it behind himself once inside. "Good morning, your highness." Eclipse greeted.

Chaucer looked over, "Oh." He said and got back to his packing, "Hello Eclipse."

Eclipse sighed inwardly. No _Master_ Eclipse? Just 'Eclipse' now? He'd bet he would never get away with calling the King by his first name. _Yet._

"Our young Prince tells me you are taking him on a hunting trip," he said aloud. Despite the thoughts in his head, his tone was as neutral as ever.

"Yes. I am taking **my** son hunting," Chaucer replied shortly.

He was slightly unnerved by how quickly Eclipse had arrived. Perhaps Drake had told him, and perhaps not. Chaucer wasn't sure.

Eclipse heard the additional suspicion in the King's voice. He wasn't usually this possessive over the boy. It was a tad bit annoying, but Eclipse knew it was not yet time for Chaucer to realize the truth, that Drake belonged to Eclipse. It was too early, the king might do something foolish... Eclipse couldn't risk that. He had to be careful...

"I see, are you quite sure you will be able to handle him? He does still lose control of his power sometimes..." Eclipse asked, his tone concerned, but with his mind, he was planting seeds of doubt in what to Eclipse seemed like the fertile, _empty_ field of the King's mind.

Chaucer slowed in his packing... Thinking about it... he really didn't know how well Drake was progressing in his magick. He knew things kept catching fire, though...  
"Where I plan on going that won't matter. It's risky here with all the books, but what could burn out in the snow?"

_Your beard._ Thought Eclipse, instantly, but he did not say it. "Well, it might not be a so much a case of what, as, _who_." Is what he did say, while subtly putting images of rather disturbing burn injuries, and charred remains in his head.

Chaucer's eyes widened at the images and he shuddered. "He... he... he wouldn't harm me."

"Not on purpose, no..."Eclipse conceded; his voice slow and hesitant. "But as I said, there have been... accidents."

Images of the 'explosion' accident from about a year before, where two guards had been injured would _somehow_ find their way to the top of the King's mind. Eclipse made sure of it.

Chaucer shuddered. "... I have to take him. I already told everyone I would. And he needs to spend time with me."

"Of course your highness..." Eclipse said while putting thoughts of Eclipse quietly standing out of the way reading a book as Chaucer showed his son how to take out a Yan easily. No fire in sight, and Drake was smiling.

"I don't suppose... you wouldn't mind coming, would you, Master Eclipse? Just to be sure. Drake would be upset if he lost control, I don't want him upset." Chaucer asked, though his voice was still unsure.

Eclipse gave a small smile and a slight bow. "It would be no bother at all, your highness. If you will excuse me, I should go and pack..."

Chaucer nodded and got back to work. "Be fast, the boat's prepared to leave."

Eclipse made sure to send the King a mental image of his beard igniting as he left the room. Some small revenge, which he smiled over as he headed to the tower. He needed to find Ellipsis.

--

Drake dragged his bag to the hall. All of this was pointless in his opinion. He didn't want to go hunting.  
_Well... it'll be a new place to explore..._ he decided.

Chaucer had the boat loaded and prepared to set sail before he walked to the study in the west wing.  
Drake _was_ there, waiting. Despite how unhappy he looked, Chaucer took his presence as a good sign.

Though... his appearance was much different than Chaucer remembered. Drake was taller, of course, than he had been, but growth was a normal change every child went through, and he was still fairly small, perhaps the slightest bit smaller than the other kids his age... always had been, at least as far as Chaucer knew.

However, not many normal children changed color from age five to age eight.  
Drake was pale, much more so than his parents who were a healthy tan.  
His hair, which Chaucer had hoped was just a very, very dark brown, was now obviously pitch-black, even in the bright sunlight.  
And his eyes... there was nothing natural about the color of his eyes.  
Albinos would have pink eyes, red tints, but Drake's hair clearly showed he wasn't albino, and even if he was... the red in his eyes was too bright, too distinguished— a frightful blood-red shade. Chaucer couldn't remember if they always had been… but it scared him.

As the door shut, the light in the room seemed to flee and only dimness remained. In that light, Drake's eyes almost seemed to glow.  
_He's still my son._ Chaucer stated, feeling the need to remind himself.

Then other thoughts crossed his mind... like what kind of situation a father would have to be in to have to say that about an eight year old? What kind of parent was he that he had to come to the decision that despite their differences, Drake really was his?  
It was a bit unnerving... He wished he could blame Drake's appearance on something. Marina hadn't been unfaithful, Drake looked just enough like both the king and queen to prove that.

Chaucer was hit by a wave of guilt caused by his own thoughts. Was he really this disturbed by his own son? This trip would do them both some good.  
"Ready?"

Drake nodded once. "I suppose..."

"Grand. Go ahead and get on the boat," Chaucer instructed.

Drake picked his bag up once again and followed his father to the boat.  
He noticed Chaucer seemed to back up away from him before turning to lead the way, staying at least four feet ahead at all times.

"So… how goes your lessons? Are you gaining much control over your powers yet?"

Drake threw a fireball at the dock, causing a small hole to burn into the slippery wood.

Chaucer yelped and finally looked back.

Drake gave the slightest smile, "Some."

--

Ellipsis came into the room quietly, he had not bothered to knock, but he didn't slam the door like earlier. "You wanted to see me?" He asked.

"Yes," Eclipse started. He was on the balcony, sitting on the rail. This side of the tower was in the shade for the time being, "Did you manage to find some thicker robes?"

"I found you some thicker robes for the weather, yes." Ellipsis replied. "So, you will be going?"

"In a manner of speaking..." Eclipse said as he came into the room and took a seat in the chair in front of the fireplace. It was fairly dark in the room, the other windows had thick unopened curtains, and none of the lamps were lit. This meant that Eclipse's pale face was illuminated only by the fire.  
Flames seemed to dance over his skin.

"Oh?" Ellipsis asked, not liking the tone of Eclipse's voice, even though it was the same as it usually was, there was just a hint of something else hidden there.

"_You_ will be going in _my_ place," Eclipse announced, a smile forming on his face. "As myself, understand?"

"But...You don't want to go yourself?" Ellipsis asked, already dreading the trip. He had hoped this would give him some time off.

"There is nothing that I can do there in front of his father that you cannot do," Eclipse reasoned. "_Keep a close eye on them_," he emphasized

"Alright..." Ellipsis said, and made his way to the door somberly.

Eclipse grinned; this would be the perfect opportunity to get some work done, and to test Ellipsis' ability to convince people that he was Eclipse. It would come in handy in the future Eclipse was sure.

--

The captain spread the wings on the boat, preparing for launch.  
Drake climbed on after his father, but the boat did not immediately set sail.

"Aren't we leaving?" Drake asked after a few minutes.

"Yes," Chaucer sighed. "But we're waiting… for Eclipse."

Drake looked back over at Chaucer. "Eclipse is coming?"

"Well… it, um. I just wasn't sure… how well can you control your fire?" Chaucer stumbled on his words.

"Oh. You're afraid of me, too." Drake said in a low, quiet voice.

"Hm? It's just… a precaution. I'm not sure how well you can control your powers, yet…" Chaucer tried to explain. "You never show me anything; never tell me…"

"You haven't done anything with me since I was five years old and got ill. Eclipse and Ellipsis have been there for me, no one else. So why should I show **you** anything?" Drake asked.

His question was honest— he did want to know. He wanted his father to explain where he'd been, why he'd abandoned him, why… everything.

However, Chaucer didn't know what to say. It felt as if someone had walked over and told him he had an eight-year-old son whom he'd never met before. A son with deadly, chaotic and uncontrollable powers Chaucer knew nothing about. Staring at Drake felt like watching a smoking volcano and knowing you'd built your house underneath. If there was an eruption, you'd lose it all, but if there wasn't then it was an amazing, wonderful, but terrifying view.

Chaucer looked away and walked to the bridge to give orders leaving Drake where he stood.

--

Ellipsis adjusted his thicker red robes. They kind of itched, but he would have to put up with it. A small part of him felt odd wearing this color— he had always known it was reserved for the leader of their people; a position a Lesser never had and never would have. The person who controlled everything and listened to no one but the Great Elders and, of course, Cináed. Eclipse was that person now. He had risen to the rank once it had been informed to everyone that he had, in fact, found Dragon. The previous leader could not compete with that, and his strength was no match for Eclipse's power... death was the only possible end.

Ellipsis did not want to be like Eclipse. Though he, too had been promoted when Drake had been found, this red color made it seem like he was taking credit for those who had died for Dragon to be found; as if he were wearing their blood… and there was something greatly unsettling about that. Dragon _had_ to be found. Every Occultation, Pure or Lesser, knew that. They were taught it from childhood up and the Pure children were taught to fear what would happen if Dragon wasn't found… they all might perish; the Lessers would outnumber them… it couldn't be allowed.

Not only did Dragon have to be found, he had to be kept safe. Being in a physical form left him vulnerable. Eclipse was the one Cináed had trusted to be able to do that… if Dragon died, they didn't know how long it would take for the cycle of souls to grant him life again… and every year that passed would decrease Cináed's power. Poseidon wasn't able to destroy Dragon before; but in a physical form… the greatest fear was death; especially if something happened to the soul as well. There were outlawed rituals that would shatter a person's soul, never to allow them to return to life, never to exist again… if anything like that happened to Dragon, the Occultation Pures would all die out. Their power loss would be instant; once again the light of day would be able to destroy even the strongest of them; they could not survive without him…

Yet, so many lives had been lost to find him. Ellipsis didn't blame Drake for that in anyway, he wasn't the one responsible… but the one who was, Ellipsis had to impersonate…

He followed the dock hand who was carrying his luggage up the gangplank, and left the man to take it where it should be, while he walked up to the bridge, clearing his face of all emotion in his best attempt to imitate Eclipse... it was almost ironic. Eclipse had stolen his face, now here he was stealing Eclipse's.

"I apologize for holding you up, your highness…" Ellipsis said to the King.

All in all, Ellipsis had done rather well for a man that had only known he was going on this trip for less than twenty minutes, but he doubted the king would think so.

Chaucer did not even look at Ellipsis, he just told the captain to launch and off they went.

--

It took seven hours to get there. Seven hours on a ship designed for speed. It could race airships.

Yet it still took seven hours on a little tiny boat.

And Drake was going insane.

"I want off the boat! Off the boat, anywhere but _on_ the boat!" Several times he'd thought about jumping off the boat, but there were things in the water that were alive and had teeth and were much, much, much bigger than Drake.  
It was getting **cold**! Far colder than anything Drake had ever been in before. The water became clearer, crisper, and up ahead it seemed to turn white...

Ellipsis had only been this far north once or twice before, and he too was noticing the cold. He was up on deck, keeping an eye on Drake while also avoiding the King as much as possible. Ellipsis had never liked to be in the King's presence, and he didn't have Eclipse's power over minds… The first few hours hadn't been so bad, but… this trip was far too long and the King brought nothing for Drake to do! Ellipsis had no idea why anyone, yet alone the boy's own father, would think a child with as much trouble as Drake had keeping attention would be able to be on the tiny boat with nothing to do this long! To be honest, Ellipsis was impressed Drake lasted as long as he did… he himself was bored and he didn't get bored easy.

"Don't jump off the boat… It'll be colder." Ellipsis advised, giving a shiver.

He was glad that he had found the thicker robes. They were already starting to pay off, even if they were itchy and heavy. He almost wanted to rub up against the ship, just to get some relief, but there was no way Eclipse would do that. Being this much on edge all the time was almost maddening, but he knew he had to get used to it.

Drake was doing far worse, he noticed. It was logical, though... he was a fire element. The cold would hurt him, easily. Ellipsis bet that was another reason Eclipse chose not to come... and that, too, was maddening! It meant Ellipsis not only had to worry about pretending to be Eclipse, but he also had to be the one to deal with a fire element in a frigid environment! If Drake got ill or hurt or anything it would all be on Ellipsis rather than Eclipse. It angered him... how dare Eclipse do this to him! Drake had never been in the snow before, who knew what would happen? Eclipse got to lounge around the tower alone and relax while all the burden was put on Ellipsis's shoulders... it was in no way fair or just... Drake had been so sick... Ellipsis had been sure he would not survive the last time. It had been nearly a full year before he'd recovered, and Ellipsis was almost ashamed to admit he worried more about losing Drake… than Dragon... Then again, if Drake caught a cold or something, perhaps they could go home earlier... and he wouldn't move around as much leading to less trouble.

--

The ship docked on the shore of a white island. Snow everywhere.

The attendants set up four tents, put the bags in the center, and then left... on the boat, as if fleeing a crime scene.

Leaving Chaucer, Drake and Ellipsis stranded on the snow covered island. It was almost as if they were forgetting that they were abandoning their King and their Prince, the heir to the throne, on an unprotected island, Ellipsis thought. He almost yelled for them to come back, but he realized Eclipse would never do that… he wouldn't need to.

"Alright then! Let's set up camp!" Chaucer grinned and walked over to the camp.

"... Set up? This is... this is the place?" Drake asked, blinking an awful lot.

"Yes! Isn't it grand? Nothing but animals and monsters on this entire island! Now, I'll go see if I can find some firewood." Chaucer walked further into the island toward a snow-covered forest, humming.

Drake looked back at the boat, then at the water. _If I'm fast... I bet I could make it._

Ellipsis had folded his arms like Eclipse often did, however in this case it was a barely disguised attempt to keep warm. He was not surprised when he saw his breath in the air when he spoke.

"Don't like the cold?" He asked the young prince, trying to see if there was any obvious reaction to the cold yet. Though, he realized too late that Eclipse wouldn't have asked...

"No." Drake shook his head, "It feels wrong. Makes me tired."

Ellipsis considered this for a moment... He wondered if mentioning something to the King would let them forget about this and go home, but... the boat was gone. Ellipsis then focused on how irresponsible it was of King Chaucer to not see that bringing a baby fire element to a frozen continent might be a **bad idea**. Still, Ellipsis realized the list of people to blame for anything that happened was increasing, but would be ignored in the end...

"Come on, Dracula!" Chaucer called.

Drake growled a sigh and stomped through the snow, doing his best to follow his father's footsteps, literally.

Ellipsis took up the rear. He could keep an eye on everyone, and shiver in peace... He had his doubts anything actually lived out here. It was too cold. Even the trees were sparse.

Chaucer stopped in the middle of the snow-covered trees.

"These won't work for a fire; we need to find trees that will burn. Winter is just beginning, and the monsters are seeking any scrap of food or heat they can. So, we get a fire going, and throw on one of these bags. The meat inside is spoiled, useless to us, but the animals will come to it. The fire will cause the scent to spread faster and stronger."  
He spotted a figure in the near distance, and smiled to himself.

"Why won't these trees work?" Drake asked.

Chaucer laughed. "They won't light, I've tried. It takes patience, Drake. It's calming. Nothing to do, nowhere to be, just time to relax and think. Maybe do some reading."

"I thought you said we were here for a reason," Drake grumbled.

"Hunting... yes, well, a person doesn't go hunting to hunt. They go to relax and enjoy nature. The hunt is just an excuse." Chaucer chuckled, already starting to walk again, toward the figure who was looking in the other direction.

"So... we walk around in the cold with nothing to do?" Drake asked.

"That is the basic idea, yes. Until we can get something that will burn which usually takes four or five hours."

Chaucer walked ahead and didn't notice that he wasn't being followed.

Ellipsis and Drake glared at the direction he went, and both looked back toward the ocean at the same time, as if attempting to force the boat to be there by pure will alone... regretfully, it did not happen.

Drake shivered, already fed up with the cold. It seemed to burn his lungs when he breathed, choke him, crush him. It did to him what smoke did to others, and he was through with that!

Looking around, Drake spotted a tree only sparely covered with snow.  
He examined the tree for a moment, thinking, judging, debating and then focused his energy.  
It warmed him for a moment, but Drake knew just keeping the internal burn would be a waste of energy in the long run. He held out his right arm toward the tree and closed his eyes, imagining what he wanted.  
Drake let that desire build and build until it was too large to be contained, and then he released it. A ball of blue and black fire flew from his palm at the tree, the moment it touched the entire tree ignited into a red-hot fire.

Ellipsis put a hand on the boy's shoulder and gave him a small smile. He knew Eclipse would be pleased that Drake had made such an impressive display in front of his father. Not to mention, Ellipsis was more than a little grateful for some warmth, enough to ignore the fact that such praise was something Eclipse would never give.

Up ahead, the one leading the party, the one Chaucer had walked to meet, spun around. The King's lead hunter/escort was a black wolf, just slightly taller than Ellipsis, who was rather tall for a human.

The wolf man had dark black fur, large ears with a small tear in one, and simple gold earrings on both. He wore large black boots, leather trousers and a thick leather coat, which extended to near his knees; it was lined with white fur.

His muzzle resembled that of a normal wolf, and it sometimes made it hard to understand what he was saying. It also gave him a rather intimidating appearance.  
He had a large and well-worn longbow over his shoulder, as well as a quiver of oddly colored arrows. He wore black gloves that only covered his hands to the knuckles, he had dark claws at the tips, but they were short enough to not interfere with most things.

His large yellow eyes stared at the flaming tree, and then to the boy. The King had mentioned his son had great power, but...

Chaucer fell back from the shocking sound and sudden heat. To say he was startled would be the understatement of the century.  
He'd walked far enough to meet up with the figure he had seen, Severo, an avid hunter Chaucer often hired as protection during these trips.  
Chaucer had sent word ahead of time to tell Severo they were coming, and also to warn him of Drake's... habits.

"That... um... sorry." Chaucer apologized as he got up, "Dracula! A little bit of warning would have been helpful!"

Drake just grinned and watched the tree fall over.

"Quite the interesting son you have, Chaucer." Severo announced as way of greeting the King.  
He obviously came from somewhere that was not the King's domain, but he did have a certain amount of respect. That did not extend to bowing, and numerous 'your highness's'. He was a person of the outdoors, and would be as much out of place in the palace, as Ellipsis was here.

Ellipsis was curious about the wolf man, but he was also interested in the fire, and moved closer to it. He could observe them just as well from there anyway.

Drake followed Ellipsis closer to the fire. His desire for the heat was greater, for the moment, than his desire to explore anything.

"Yes... very interesting." Chaucer sighed, "I hope he won't cause any problems? I needed to get him out of the palace. I haven't been able to spend time with him in... well, a very long time. Master Eclipse is Drake's advisor, he is here to try and keep things from exploding. And has done a _wonderful_ job so far... I wish I could, but I cannot offer much assurance that you'll be safe in the event that Dracula's unusual abilities get out of hand. Eclipse has promised to do his best to keep these 'events' contained, though."

If Severo was worried by the boy, he didn't show it. Instead, he looked toward the pale man. "No, it's quite alright. I'm sure this Eclipse person is quite competent." He said reassuringly, and Ellipsis gave a slight nod of his head in both agreement and modest thanks.

Severo turned his attention back to the King. He sniffed the air a little, and closed his eyes slightly, like a man smelling sweet flowers, "I see that you didn't neglect the lure." he commented, referring to the meat in the bag.

Chaucer looked at the bag. "Yes, I remembered."

"Pork?" Severo asked, slightly surprised. "Should work quite well… It's scent usually travels pretty far."

Ellipsis watched the wolf man. He was obviously an experienced hunter, and knew a lot about meat, apparently. He found himself hoping that they would not run low on food.

Chaucer laughed. "As you told me last time, this is the preferred bait for the beasts of this area, right? I brought plenty, I should think. I'm sorry I did not give more of a warning before arrival, is the game good this time of year?"

--  
Drake played around with the fire for a while and then wandered off a bit. Now that he was warm he was running low on things to complain about, so he let his curious side take charge and he investigated his surroundings.

"It could be better." Severo said, rearranging the bow on his shoulder, "But some rare game should be around now, which might make up for it."

Ellipsis watched Drake start to head off. A quick look to the King and the new hunter said that they either didn't notice, or didn't care, so he started to follow Drake.

Drake didn't go too far, he knew better than to do that.  
But he did find a cave and **that** fascinated him.  
What was in it? That was always the big question. It was like when someone gave you a present. What's inside hits your mind before 'why has it been given to me' it didn't matter if the box or bag was big or small. The cave's opening was small, half buried in the snow, but the question remained.  
It was a question Drake was going to find the answer to.  
"Ooo, cave!" His eyes lit up as he switched directions and headed for the half-buried mystery.

Ellipsis followed the boy; surely he wasn't foolish enough to go into an unknown cave? He wasn't as good as Drake in the snow; it was hard to keep up, it had surprised him how fast the boy could move in such weather.

"Drake!" Ellipsis called, but the wind carried his voice away.

--

Chaucer tossed the pork into the fire. "As long as we catch something, that's all that matters..." He decided, though something was bothering him.

--

Drake didn't hear his name, or he would have stopped. He doubted his father would notice him missing and if Eclipse wanted him, he'd know, as Eclipse had a way of speaking silently, like a voice in your head.  
So Drake assumed he was in no way ignoring any call.  
He reached the cave and did, indeed, crawl inside.  
Once inside, he could stand up. It was much bigger than the opening was.

"Wow." Drake marveled as he looked around, walking further into the cave.  
There were scratches in the wall... large crevices in the stone.  
It wasn't as cold in here, the wind was blocked.

Ellipsis growled in frustration as he saw the boy disappear inside the cave. Less than an hour here and already Drake had gotten himself in trouble. For someone as valuable as he was, he sure did not hesitate when it came to risks... it was amazing Eclipse had not been able to train that out of him yet— unless it was on purpose... Perhaps Eclipse let him be reckless because it made Eclipse all the more valuable for being able to control him.

Ellipsis made it to the entrance of the cave, and called Drake's name again.

Drake looked toward the entrance, hearing his name. "... What?" He called and reluctantly headed back to the entrance.

--  
Chaucer looked around, that's when he realized what was wrong. "... I believe I just lost my son..."

"And Snow White." Severo observed, meaning 'Eclipse'. He then sniffed the air, trying to figure where they had gone.

"What are you _doing _in here?!" Ellipsis demanded, while climbing through the small entrance. Once inside, Ellipsis did notice the change in temperature. The wind chill was certainly high outside. Still, it was dark, and he was worried about what might have taken refuge in the small cave.

"I don't know... Exploring." Drake shrugged, "It's not as cold in here."

"Yaaaaaaaaaan!"

Drake looked behind him into the pitch darkness. "... What's that thing?"

* * *

**Here we have Severo!**

Severo was breifly in OMWF and people seemed very intriqued by him! He is a more important character in TRLF and will be in the third story!

**Kindly review if/when you have time! Thank you!  
**


	6. Chapter 5: Animals Are Meat

**Quick update, no? Tee-hee. I realized I was super behind on this! I have too many projects going on, and I love all of them! But I love you guys too, because your kind reviews just make me feel so honored and I am so happy that this story trilogy is so enjoyed! Even if you have reviewed on the forum, I'd love for a review here, too! Even if you have not reviewed before, or are waiting till later… I would still be so pleased with a kind review, even a short one! I know the chapters are long and your time in precious, so I can understand if you read and then have to go! But when you have the time, drop by and drop me a polite review! I may reply in kind!**

**Chapter 5: **_**If We Weren't Meant To Eat Animals, How Come They're Made Of Meat?**_

* * *

"Yes... Eclipse doesn't seem at all like the outdoors type... so where would they go?" Chaucer wondered.

When he had little luck with scent, Severo just followed the footsteps in the snow. "This way..." he announced. His conversation always suffered when he was tracking.

Chaucer followed, speeding up slightly in an attempt to keep up with Severo.

--  
The Yan lowered its head, preparing to attack.

Ellipsis struggled to control his fear and keep up the illusion that he was Eclipse. This meant his response was delayed, but believable. "Trouble," he started. "We should get out of here, now."

Drake looked back at Ellipsis, mildly confused. "What is it? It doesn't look dangerous..."

Ellipsis grabbed Drake's arm. Didn't Eclipse teach him anything? "It's a Yan, they are dangerous. We have to get out of here, _now_."

--

The cave was in sight, and Severo was picking up scents now. He sped up even more; he knew that scent...

Chaucer sped up, too. "Something wrong?" He asked, getting worried.

--

Drake was a bit confused as to **how** the little sheep thing could be dangerous. He had a toy Yan at home; this one looked different. But... if Eclipse said it was dangerous. "O...Okay..."

--

Severo did not answer; he just sped up even more, very near the cave now.

--

Ellipsis began to pull the boy toward the exit, but it was too late, the Yan attacked, and they were hit with Float. Suddenly Ellipsis was floating off the ground, and was unable to run. All he could think to do was quickly retaliate with Flare. He wasn't even sure if Drake had been hit with the spell too.

Drake yelped, managing to avoid the float and flare spell. He looked back at the Yan with a growl.  
It stomped its hooves and lowered its head. Something gold and sparkly formed between its horns.  
Drake spread his hand wide, letting his fire spread across his fingertips and lighting the area, but he didn't think he had enough focus to attack this odd creature. The fire did confuse it for a moment, forcing it back a step or two till the fire started to fade.

"Get out of here!" Ellipsis shouted, seeing that the Yan was preparing to cast a spell. As he couldn't move, he decided to cast Thundaga on the Yan.

--

Outside, Severo has just arrived at the opening, and was starting to climb inside.

--

The Yan faltered its Comet attack, distracted by the Thundaga hit. It was hard to fight in such close quarters; Ellipsis was having a hard time not to panic with not being able to run away.

Drake bolted for the exit, but stopped when he saw Severo coming through.

Severo came through the opening, his face twisted in an almost primal grin. On his back, he reached for an arrow; he was looking for just the right one. The wolf man knew them all by touch, and quickly found just the right one and pulled it out.

Taking his bow from his shoulder, and lining up the arrow with it, seemed to be only one fluid, well-practiced movement. The arrow itself was made of a dark brown wooden shaft. The flights on the back were white and black feathers. Only what was at the head of the arrow was unique. It was black, very black. It shimmered in a way that made it appear that it wasn't a metal, but was not translucent enough to be a gem.

Severo moved so fast, it was near impossible to guess how long he had practiced to aim that quickly, but the arrow shot out nearly instantly. Traveling far too fast to see, especially in the dim light, the only thing that was important to know was one second it was in the bow, and the next it was stuck right in-between the eyes of the Yan. Accompanied by a sickening '_thwack'_.

The Yan stood for a moment, unmoving, before it finally dropped, its life was over in an instant.

Drake watched, rather impressed by that. "Wow!"

"Oof!" Ellipsis blurted involuntarily as the Float spell suddenly ended and he dropped to the floor.

Severo trotted enthusiastically over to the fallen monster, and yanked out the Shadow Arrow. He laughed heartily. "Great work lads! How did you manage to find a Yan so quickly? You must be more skilled than I gave you credit for!" He bellowed loudly, thoroughly in a good mood. As if to show it, he slapped Drake on the back a little too over enthusiastically.

Ellipsis got to his feet slowly, hoping that he hadn't ruined Eclipse's image too much. If he had, this would only be the _start_ of his pain.

Drake grinned, though he was shoved forward a bit by the slap. He glanced over at Ellipsis to be sure he was okay, but then instantly went back to watching Severo. "What was that? That arrow? It's not like any of mine."

Chaucer arrived right at that. "A Yan?" He asked, peering into the dimly lit cave.

Ellipsis stayed silent, the answer to the King's question was rather redundant. Seeing as any _moron_ could see that it was quite clearly not a dead rabbit.

"It is an elemental arrow." Severo answered, he had apparently found a new fondness for the boy. "Few people have heard of them, and fewer still have seen them."

He offered the arrow to the boy so that he could examine it. The arrowhead seemed to have absorbed the blood, but at closer inspection, the shaft was stained with what was probably blood, from many uses. It was well cared for, though.

Drake looked the arrow over for a while. He could feel the energy radiating from it, such dark magick.  
"Elemental... so there are eight different types?" Drake asked.

Chaucer moved some of the snow away from the entrance so it would be easier for those inside to get out.

Ellipsis observed the strange hunter instruct the boy on a subject even Eclipse might not know all about, which might cause trouble later. These arrows really were rare, and their creation was a secret so closely guarded that men had died before revealing even who made them.

Severo grinned wider and nodded. "Smart boy!" He confirmed, "Eight elements. Eight arrows."

Drake grinned excitedly, taking the complement in.

"We should get back to camp." Chaucer called, worried about a pack of Yan's showing up. "We set the bait, we should be cautious about what might show up for it."

To Ellipsis, this was probably the first smart thing that the King had ever said. Eclipse would never believe him.

"Yes, good idea, Chaucer." Severo agreed, taking the arrow from the boy, gently. Then hefting the Yan under his arm, he led the way out of the cave. He was obviously strong, the way he could easily hold the monster, and climb out.

Drake was all too impressed with this hunter and followed him out, amazed that he could easily lift the dead monster without showing any effort at all.

But there was a big question on his mind... he hadn't seen them bring much food. "Are we gonna eat that?"

In response to Drake, Severo lowered his head back through the opening slightly, gave him a grin, and wiggled his 'eyebrows'. As far as he was concerned, _somebody_ was going to eat it.

Ellipsis sure hoped not. It looked very inedible, let alone the _smell_. Ellipsis had never smelled a dead sheep and a dead yak mixed together and then left in the sun... but he bet it wouldn't be as bad as that thing...

Drake gave a wicked laugh. "Cool!" He hopped through the cave opening.

If possible, Severo grinned even wider, showing his large sharp teeth. He had a unique smile, to say the least, but he was glad about the boy's enthusiasm.

Chaucer moved aside to let them pass. "Coming, Master Eclipse?"

Ellipsis grit his teeth for a moment, then stepped out of the cave.

Chaucer headed back for the camp.

Drake looked around a moment. Finding several things that caught his attention...

Severo followed behind Chaucer, still carrying the dead Yan, and Ellipsis followed behind Drake. He was _not_ letting him out of his sight again. No way.

It was a good thing the campfire was not far. In fact, Severo could smell the burning meat from just outside the cave, he wouldn't be surprised if they found some monsters milling around their camp, looking for food.

"We have some tents set up near the beach," Chaucer said. "I hope it's far enough from the bait trap. Though, we could move the camp... there aren't as many trees as I thought there would be."

Drake noticed he was being watched so he zigzagged as much as possible.

Ellipsis glared at the boy. He was sure he was trying to be annoying now. To think he had felt sorry for him sometimes! He was tempted to grab his shoulder and force him to walk straight, but that might not go over well with his Father…, which irritated him more. Chaucer was _never _around, yet Ellipsis had to worry about angering him… as if that dunce of a man knew Drake better than Ellipsis did.

Severo considered this for a moment. "No, I think with your boy we should be able to find some fire." He decided, "And remember what happened last time we set up camp too close to the bait? Do you still have the scar?"

Chaucer grimaced at that memory. "No... Marina healed it, thankfully. Such a wretched scar did not look good to important guests. As for the fire... I don't know how well he can control it."

Drake was far too busy annoying Ellipsis to pay attention to the two men he was supposed to be following.  
He was wondering a few things... the big one being that Eclipse would never let him toy around as he was... and Ellipsis did look a lot like Eclipse...  
He decided he should test the limits by jumping into a tree and starting to climb.

Severo chuckled slightly at the King's talk about the scar, and then started to turn when Chaucer mentioned he was unsure about his son. Severo thought it was a little weird that the King wouldn't know about his own son.

"Well, why don't we ask h—" his words were cut short when he finished turning to see Drake starting to climb up a random tree, and Eclipse telling him to get down at once.

"Now!" Ellipsis demanded, already considering if he would get away with a carefully aimed Flare.

Drake ignored him and climbed higher.

Severo watched curiously, and with perhaps the slightest smirk. This was none of his business though, so he didn't step in, but it did amuse him. Quite the prince, this lad! He reminded Severo of himself at that age... and wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not! Probably not, for royalty…

Chaucer turned, too. "... How did he get up there that fast?" He wondered, not sure... what to do about it. He'd never had to deal with Drake doing... anything, before.

Drake looked down at 'Eclipse' for a moment. His little experiment had given him his answer. "...Oooh, I know who you are..."

"Okay then, we'll just go and be by the warm fire." Ellipsis said, turning away. He was freezing cold again, and knew the boy had to be. Drake probably hated it even more than he himself did. He doubted Eclipse would be able to do _that _much in front of Drake's father anyway.

Drake made a little fireball in his hand, "Alright."

Ellipsis glared back at him out of the corner of his eye.

Chaucer decided to try his luck and called for Drake to get down, but he was completely ignored.  
"... I guess he's safe up there..."

"I guess so..." Ellipsis conceded and headed toward the fire nonchalantly. He knew Drake would follow sooner or later.

Drake thought about it a moment. That was Ellipsis... he was sure it was... but he was also bored, so he was somewhat stuck on what to do. Staying up in the tree with fire could be a bad thing if the tree caught fire...  
Irritating Chaucer was... meh... fun for the moment.  
Irritating Eclipse was deadly  
Irritating Ellipsis? Well... Ellipsis had never done anything mean to him, so it was just rude.  
Drake crawled to the edge of the tree branch he was on and jumped down, landing by Ellipsis in the snow.

Ellipsis did not acknowledge, and definitely did not thank Drake for getting down. He just walked over to the fire, and started to warm up, which was a relief to him.

Severo shook his head a little, amused, and headed over to the fire as well. He thought it very strange how the two men acted around the young Prince… it was almost as if they did not realize he was a child.

Chaucer followed. "Oh... something took the bait." He stated, motioning toward the white Snow Mu.  
He struggled with his newly acquired rifle. State of the art, brand new, but... a pain to load.  
When the King finally succeeded and fired off a shot that... went **close** to the Mu.

The Snow Mu freaked out and... ran _into_ the fire.

Chaucer watched in slight horror and disgust as the creature burned and the fire went out. To actually see something purposely burn itself was more than he could take.  
_  
_Drake had several thoughts on that._  
Wow, that looks like my toy Mu at home!  
Woah, that's a lot of fire...  
Awww... my fire went out..._  
and finally. "...Yay! Dinner!"

Ellipsis just stared at where the fire had been. Then he stared some more. And just for a change, he stared a bit. Then he finally spoke.

"Nice shot, sir." He said quietly, still staring at the fire, and scorched Mu.

"Totally ruined the pelt..." Severo shook his head while trying to wipe a grin off his face.

"... That was highly unusual…" Chaucer blinked a lot.

"We're gonna eat that right?" Drake laughed, "I wonder if a vegetarian would consider it wrong when technically it was a suicide."

Severo laughed loudly. Though it was hard to tell if he found Drake's joke, or the idea of a 'vegetarian' more humorous. "I'm not sure if we will be eating it now..."

Ellipsis just sighed as the cold began to set back in.

Chaucer shook his head quickly. "No, I have some real food back at the camp." His words rushed as the smell of the charred corpse got to him, causing him to feel sick, swiftly he turned and headed for the tents.

"Such a shame; would have made a nice scarf..." Severo commented as he followed the King, able to keep up easily. "Wait, what's real food?" He asked, finally remembering he was holding a dead Yan.

"Real food is food that does not smell like a carcass." Chaucer explained; the same explanation he gave every time he went hunting with Severo.

"Come on." Ellipsis said quietly to Drake, putting a hand on his shoulder and urging him to follow.

Drake followed willingly, the cold getting to him yet again. "... Ellipsis, why didn't Eclipse come?" Drake asked quietly, his voice hardly heard.

Ellipsis was a little shocked, but not _very_ shocked. Though, he had to think about his response for a moment. Should he deny it? No, the boy obviously knew. So in the end he settled on, "He didn't want to."

Drake thought about that a moment. "... Lucky him..." He grumbled, realizing Eclipse was getting out of being in all this cold. "I take it he doesn't want anyone to know?"

"You guess right," Ellipsis affirmed quietly. "He dislikes the cold, I'm sure that's all. I know you would have tried to get out of it too, had you known you could."

What else could he have said? He just hoped that he could explain this, and somehow keep it from the King. Eclipse would be _mad_ though. That was not going to be pleasant… He had to hope Drake wouldn't say anything to his father.

Severo made a disgusted face. "Like 'vegetables', blegh!" He exclaimed. "You have a strange taste in food, old friend."

Chaucer laughed. "You can eat the Yan, then. Do you still prefer things raw, or are we allowed to cook it?"

"Bah! Very funny." Severo said to the king, mocking offense. "You know I never eat things 'raw'." He argued. "Maybe just a little 'rare'," the wolf added with a grin.

Chaucer mocked a gag, "You cook and it shall be your choice. Ah, here we are. Now we just need to get a fire going."

Ellipsis cringed at hearing that, but was prevented from talking to Drake further when Severo turned around to face them. He was looking at Drake with an odd smile on his face. If Ellipsis had to describe it, he would probably refer to it as the 'Grandma, what sharp teeth you have!' smile.

Drake looked at Severo and his odd, slightly frightening smile, then back at Ellipsis.

Ellipsis gave a shrug and looked at Severo.

Severo grinned wider. "Hey, Lad! You wanna start a fire?" he asked curiously, and winked.

Drake looked back at Severo. "Yes!—... but I'm not supposed to."

"But you did it before..." Severo pointed out.

"Very true..." With that, the decision was made. Drake looked at the closest tree and blasted it with fire the same way he had done before.  
The tree seemed to groan and then fell, landing perfectly in the center of the camp onto the semi dry pile of wood there.  
Drake grinned, feeling the warmth from it, then looked back at Ellipsis cautiously, as if checking to be sure that was okay.

Ellipsis just shrugged in a very Eclipse-like way, then went over and stood near the fire, only wishing he had a chair.

"Good work, lad." Severo congratulated him, and gave him a thumbs up.

Drake grinned at that. He never received such praise for his powers before.

Chaucer shuddered. "Just be careful... you might hit someone with that."

Severo shook his head. He was sure Chaucer was over-reacting, and thought it was rather strange for him to be so afraid of his own son. The Eclipse person was just baffling to him. He didn't seem to talk a lot at all, let alone to praise Drake for a job well done... what was wrong with these people?

"So what did you bring?" Severo asked, trying to change the subject. The light was just starting to fade.

Chaucer opened a bag, "Mostly vegetables…" He grinned. "And some bacon, rock fisted potatoes, noodles, rice, eggs, meatballs and some steak cubes. That's it unless someone wants to go fish."

Drake was disappointed in those options. Practically the same thing they had at the palace every day.

"I think I will stick with the Yan..." Severo said, while trying not to look too disgusted. True, the bacon would have been edible, but vegetables? Never. He was a carnivore; his stomach was rather sensitive to vegetables. He could eat them, but too many upset his digestion, and made him ill.

"Fine then, cook it." Chaucer laughed, "I don't see how you can stomach eating those monsters."

Severo nodded and went off out of sight to prepare it for cooking. He wasn't going to eat their terrible food, but he knew from experience that the skinning and gutting often put the King and his men off their meals. He didn't want to do that.

Ellipsis watched the wolf man head off out of sight behind a snowy hill; making sure the boy didn't follow. He was hungry too, and some of that bacon and rock fisted potatoes sounded lovely. Keeping in character, however, he stayed silent, and composed.

In the sky, a barely visible moon was just showing. _Eclipse, you bastard_. Ellipsis thought, knowing his master was on the equivalent of a lovely Holiday.

Chaucer shook his head and laughed as Severo trotted off.  
Luckily, much of the meal was already done, and what wasn't the King knew how to cook. He added some of the vegetables, bacon, steak cubes, and potatoes into a pot and made a stew and put some in three bowls for Ellipsis, Drake and himself.

Drake ate his quickly and then occupied himself by making a whole lot of little snowball people.

Severo watched them eat, while he twirled the roasting Yan on a makeshift spit. It no longer looked or smelled so bad...

Ellipsis sat and finished the last few bits of his meal, while watching Severo spinning the Yan over the fire. It looked and smelled even worse, in his opinion.

The snowball people didn't last long, they kept melting whenever he tried to move them. Thus, he found an even more entertaining game of smashing them, the only flaw in which was that they disappeared even faster that way…  
Drake looked up at the scent of the cooked Yan. It smelt better than the stew, which had hardly satisfied his hunger and for some reason he'd never understood, you weren't supposed to say that you were still hungry... Slowly he started inching his way over.

Ellipsis saw him moving, but he really didn't care. He could eat and smell all the dead Yan he wanted for all he cared. At least then he wouldn't be making a nuisance of himself— and there really wasn't any risk... Ellipsis doubted Drake would run off. Surely, the cold would be a sort of barrier for him…

"Hello there, Lad." Severo said as he saw the boy approach out of the corner of his eye. He didn't look away from the Yan, as he seemed busy sprinkling some kind of spice onto it. The cold breeze would carry the smell of it over to Drake. It was very pungent, and no doubt gave the Yan an even stronger flavor.

Drake moved closer at normal speed, noticing Ellipsis didn't seem to care and Chaucer was busy making sure the stew didn't burn.  
"Hello," he smiled. "What's that?" He asked, motioning toward the spice.

"It's a traditional spice that my people use." Severo answered, and offered out the little pouch to the boy. "Goes especially well with Yan, and Yeti."

Drake sniffed at the spices. "...Yeti? Do they live out here?"

"They usually stay a little further north than here, but we might see one, you never know!" Severo said with a wink at the boy. "Any guess at what arrow I would use?" He doubted the boy would know, but he bet he would like to learn.

Drake thought about it for a minute. "Wind... Wind or shadow," he replied.

Severo's eyes widened and he gave a nod. "Yes," he started, "Exactly... How did you know that? You're a smart Lad."

Drake grinned happy for the complement, "I get grounded a lot and have a lot of books in my room." He replied with an even bigger grin, "I get bored easily."

"That probably explains why you get grounded a lot too, huh?" Severo asked with a grin, which showed his sharp teeth. He then realized he was neglecting the Yan slightly, and began to turn it again.

Drake laughed and tried to mimic that grin. He didn't see or notice, but his own teeth did grow the slightest bit, and sharpen. His canines especially. "Probably,"  
His teeth returned to normal the moment he stopped trying to copy the grin.

The wolf man missed the strange occurrence, as his eyes were on the near-perfect roast Yan. "Ahh, it's done!" He exclaimed, and then took a knife to it, slicing of a hunk of meat with practiced ease.

"Would you like to try some?" He asked the young prince, plopping the meat onto a plate. The suggestion made Ellipsis' skin crawl.

"Sure!" Drake exclaimed.

Only then did Chaucer look over. "Don't give him something that'll make him sick, Severo."

Severo snorted. "It won't make him sick," he objected. "It might be a little too spicy for him though…" And it was true, the flavor of the Yan was pretty strong, and the spices were made for 'his' people. Few humans liked it.

Ellipsis was less worried. If Drake was sick, he wouldn't _move_ as much.

Drake found it a biiiiit spicy. In that he ate it and his hands erupted into fire. "Oops..." Over all, he liked it! It made him forget about the cold.

Chaucer moved back a bit.

"I wish _I_ could do that! I wouldn't even have to cook it!" Severo announced gleefully, though he had been very close to burning some hair. "More?" he asked the boy, while helping himself to more. Apparently, a wolf man had a wolf's appetite. It was a big benefit of such hot and spicy food. Nothing warmed you up more, and made the cold around you almost a relief.

Drake grinned, about to say yes when,

"No!" Chaucer interrupted. "Don't give him more of that, the whole camp will burn down!"

Severo gave a helpless shrug to the boy, and continued with his own food. "Sorry Lad…" he apologized. "Maybe tomorrow you can try some Yeti," the wolf added with a wink.

Ellipsis looked a little disappointed, it was even colder now it was dark, and at least if they had all caught fire, they wouldn't be cold.

Chaucer put the food away as the day faded into night. "It should be warmer in the tents," he stated as he got up and walked to his tent.

Ellipsis gave a last glance at Drake, perhaps deciding if he should stay up to watch him, but an especially frigid breeze changed his mind, and he crawled inside his own tent. He was glad to find it blocked out the wind.

Severo turned to the Prince after dumping the bones from his plate. "Should head to bed, Lad. More fun in the morning." He promised, and gave Drake another wink of one of his large yellow eyes.

Drake cheered up again at that. "Alright! Good night, Sir Severo."

Drake got up and walked to his own tent, dropping down onto the mound of furs. It was freezing, but dark enough that he could risk using some of his internal fire to keep himself warm. For a reason he wasn't completely sure about, his powers worked better in the dark... which at the moment, he just was thankful for.

Ellipsis found it easy to get to sleep. Despite the king skimping a little on the food supplies, there were plenty of warm blankets, and the inside of the tent was like a small sanctuary. It was still cold, and Ellipsis still hated Eclipse for doing this to him, but at least he could get some rest.

* * *

**I know some people might have a problem with the chapter title. If you're a vegetarian, that's fine. I can respect that, but do respect that I am not. I'm against animal abuse, animal testing and hunting for sport. My mother is 100% Inuit Indian. Thus, my ancestors are hunters, but we respect nature. I was always taught and I believe that if you hunt and kill, you use that entire animal. The skin becomes clothing and material for rugs, furniture, etc. Same with the bones, or you boil them overnight and then eat them. Organs can be used, too, whatever is left is for the animals in the area to devour. I know that can seem savage, but in my mind the idea of going out to kill an animal just to mount its head or corpse somewhere is way worse. Yes, this story involves hunting for profit, but none of it is for sport, please remember that in the day and age where this story takes place, hunting was a sport for nobles as not only something to do, but a way to gain food, material **_**and**_** money. The better you were at hunting, the more you were worth as should something happen, you would be able to provide for your family and household.**

I am sorry if anyone is offended, though! I in no way mean to offend; I am very against animal abuse and fight against it! I'm not even fully acceptable of breeders for domestic pets, since the shelters are always full and you can even find purebreds there… so… yes. No harm intended!


	7. Chapter 6: Learning

**I love this chapter for the visual images alone… I love dragons and volcanoes… and vampires… but I doubt anyone can guess that, right? Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaarcaaasm.**

**Chapter 6:**_** Learning**_

--

Severo put some fresh wood onto the fire to keep the fire going into the night, and carried the leftovers of the Yan to a place way outside the camp. The smell would attract monsters, and having them too near the camp would be bad.  
After he was finished, he went inside his own tent. It was smaller, and discolored slightly with age and use, but was just as warm as the King's. He too slept well, but had odd dreams.

He was at the top of a mountain. Wait; was it a mountain? It was smoking... A Volcano! Severo peered down into it, but saw only darkness. It looked as though he was safe from it, as long as he didn't fall in. It looked like it was not erupting.

So he turned his attention to the sky. Three dragons were circling it, a red one, a green one, and a blue one. But the green and blue ones were slowly spiraling toward a mist that covered the ground.

They faded as they descended lower, until Severo was unable to see them at all. Were they still circling down there? Below the mist? He did not know, so he looked back up for the red dragon...

It was gone...

Everything was silent for a long moment. Deathly silent, not even a hiss from the volcano broke it. Then the mist from below began to rise. Or perhaps the volcano was sinking into it. It was impossible to tell.

Time passed, and before he knew it, Severo was surrounded by the mist. Everything was still silent, but now he could barely see anything. Just white everywhere. He tried to speak, but he found he had no voice. Like he was allowed to watch, but not to interrupt.

Then suddenly there was a terrible roar behind him. It shattered the silence like glass and was loud enough to hurt his ears. Almost as if the shards of the silence were cutting them.

He spun around and there was the red dragon, it was speeding toward him, its huge mouth open, and sharp teeth coming right at him! He only had time to raise his arms in a futile attempt to protect himself.

"_SEVERO__!!_" It screeched more than said, just before hitting him.

"Severo!" Drake called again. "Severo, wake up!"

It was... early, to say the least, but Drake had been awake for a while, having sensed something and feeling the need to investigate. A monster he'd never seen up close before, so Drake ran back to camp to wake up Severo.

Severo woke with a start, sitting half upright. Just as the dragon should have hit him, it suddenly got a lot colder, and the impact was suddenly only the small shoves from the boy.

"Lad?" Severo asked, as he began to realize it was only a dream, and sighing a little in relief.

"Sir Severo, I found a Vepal!" Drake exclaimed. "A green one!"

Severo licked his lips and cleared his throat while sitting up. "A Vepal? You sure?" He asked; his voice a little hoarse.

Drake nodded. "I'm positive, now hurry!" He jumped up and took off back out of the tent and followed his own path back to where he'd seen the monsters.

"WAIT!" Severo called. He could be a bit reckless at times, but not reckless enough to let a child run into a group of monsters. Luckily, he slept in his clothes, and only had to grab his bow and quiver on the way out of the tent.

Ellipsis was woken up by Severo's yell. He knew almost immediately that it _must_ be Drake. Who else would it be? So he forced himself up and out the tent as quickly as he could.

Chaucer… slept through it all. It was 5am. Not even Hades coming to Gaia to collect souls would wake him up.

--  
Drake kept running, having already memorized the way. He went around the forest, through a narrow pass, over to some boulders and there they were.  
Just over the rocks. The green Vepal had been joined by a heard of four red ones. They soared above the frozen lake like a bird would fly over the trees.  
Drake stopped, perched on one of the rocks and carefully peering over the stack of boulders at the monsters gliding over the pond.

Severo followed the boy as much by scent as anything. He didn't seem to have considered that people wouldn't be able to follow if he went out of sight, eventually arriving at the rock where the boy was perched.

Ellipsis followed after Severo, only just managing to keep him in sight most of the time. He arrived, slightly breathless, but trying to hide it, a few seconds after Severo. He was about to break character and shout at Drake when he noticed the monsters.

"See? I told you. Vepals." Drake whispered, making sure he didn't frighten the monsters.  
He was, secretly, proud of himself for finding them. Proud enough that he didn't care about the rules he'd broken by leaving camp the first time without telling anyone, and then running ahead this time.  
Besides... Eclipse wasn't here, thus Drake figured he could not be punished.

Ellipsis was very upset, almost as much as he was about the cave incident the previous day. He fully intended to make sure the boy was punished for this. Frankly, he was surprised that Eclipse had not got him to be more obedient yet... but he would... That thought was what let his anger diminish. A boy this independent and disobedient would not be what Eclipse wanted... and Eclipse always got what he wanted. One way or another, he'd get Drake to obey him.

Severo on the other hand was rather excited. You rarely _ever_ saw this kind of display. Usually Vepals attacked faster than you got a chance to see them. In fact, Drake was probably lucky they didn't see him first. He probably wouldn't have been alive to wake him from that horrible dream...

He shook his head; He didn't really have time to worry about that now.

"They were closer before," Drake stated. "I heard them in the forest, and when I got here they were right by the rocks. They seem to be staying over the lake, though..."

"An interesting find," Severo complimented. "Especially considering how rare the red ones are this time of year!"

Ellipsis found it hard to believe that the wolf wasn't mad at the boy. Or at **least **lecturing him on safety. He suspected Eclipse would have personally disemboweled the boy for doing it, and then disemboweled Ellipsis himself for allowing the boy to do it, and that's if they were lucky.

Drake watched the monsters. They hovered over the lake, occasionally snapping at one another.  
"That green one on the far right is the weakest." he observed, "It backs away when the others get close."

"And keen observation too... have you done this before?" Severo asked, sounding rather impressed. Ellipsis just rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe that he was encouraging the boy! Were all the King's minions and friends complete morons? Besides, hunting was... pointless! Drake did not need to get interested in such a thing-- it would be yet another thing that Eclipse would disprove of.

"No... Never really been out of Daguerreo, except once. But, I got ill and ruined that trip before I even got off the boat. This is the first time I've been out of the palace in about a year, and I've never gone camping or hunting." Drake stated, honestly.

The Vepals continued their miniature battles a moment before the weak green one turned and sped off.

Severo had a strange feeling when the boy said he had gotten ill on that trip. What was that sensation? Never mind, he had just seen the weakling speed off.

"You seem to have a talent for this," he whispered to the boy and then leaned in closer. "Would you like to make your first kill?"

Ellipsis got a little nervous when Drake was mentioning the time they had taken him to the Occultations Island. He saw something in Severo's eyes... but luckily, it disappeared quickly. He had something new to worry about just as quickly, though. _What is he doing?! What was he talking about? Going after that weaker Vepal!? He can't be serious!_

Drake looked at Severo like he was crazy for a minute.  
Then he grinned which was more than enough of an answer.

"Come on!" He said in a loud whisper and headed off back down the rocks.  
Then over the next quarter of an hour or so, led them around to the part of the woods where the Vepal had headed. It was too dangerous to head directly there, because of the others.

Ellipsis struggled to keep up and fumed the entire way. Eventually, Severo caught sight of the green Vepal and pulled Drake behind some bushes, and then Ellipsis too when it was obvious he wasn't planning to get behind the bushes.

"There it is..." Severo whispered.

Drake already had it pinned with his sharp red eyes.  
Fire... Green Vepals were weak against fire, very weak! And wind, which could explain why they hid during this season.  
Drake saw it in his mind. Fire would take out the Velpal even faster than it had the Mu. As he envisioned this, his eyes flickered like an open flame, burning out of control.

He wanted to attack. Drake had never liked things being hurt, but right now, he wanted to kill that Vepal. It existed as if for him, as if Drake's sole purpose were to chase, hunt and kill anything he sought after.  
Drake had a number of bows, guns, whips… all at home, all for 'practice' all for show and none for use.  
But this… feeling, now, wouldn't leave. Drake slowly crept forward, not making even a hint of a sound. The leaves of the bushes seemed to part for him, and his mind told him exactly where to move—where to place his hand, his leg and he crawled, when to get lower to the ground, his senses told him when it was okay to peek up and when not to. The entire time he stayed in the shadows. The Vepal had turned and looked in his direction several times.

Drake crouched low, balancing on one hand and the tips of his boots. He brought his right hand to him, feeling his own power course through his arm, then he shot his arm out toward the creature, and though it was looking right at him, it never saw the fireball coming until it was too late.

Severo had suspected that the King underestimated his son's powers, and this had proved him right. He had been a little concerned when he had lost control at dinner the previous night, but being able to take out a Vepal in one hit was no small accomplishment! Escpecially at his age!

He vacated his hiding spot confidently now there was no threat. True, Drake had made the mistake of approaching the Vepal from upwind, and he doubted that the prince had learned they had a very poor sense of smell... but that was not important! For a beginner, he showed true skill. Even Severo himself had not done that well on his first hunt. He ran to the boy and slapped him on the back hard.

"Excellent!" He cried, and then looked down to examine the Vepal.

Drake smiled and got up, following Severo over to the fallen Vepal.

"It's dead," Severo announced redundantly when he reached the dead Vepal. It really was dead too, in fact, it was half cooked. Though unless you liked a cross between chicken and fish, Vepal was not very palatable.

"Well that's good, seeing as that was the purpose, hm?" Drake grinned again. "The scales sell for a fortune in Treno, I've heard."

"They sell pretty well anywhere," Severo informed with a smile. "Bit of a trek to get all the way to the mist continent, though." Just then, Ellipsis walked calmly over to join them, but offered no input.

"So, how did you like it?" Severo asked the young prince, with a wide, enthusiastic grin.

"I like it." Drake grinned, still feeling the rush from the kill. "I **really** like it!"

"Good!" Severo nearly shouted. "But perhaps we should get back to the camp before your father wonders where you are?" He added. It was not really a question he expected an answer to, even Severo had some responsibility. Ellipsis was relieved. He hoped he could get just a little more sleep...

"Somehow, I doubt my father will be awake... or care." Drake shrugged, but he turned and obediently headed back for camp, having remembered the entire trip there and following the footsteps in the snow.

"Oh, I know Chaucer. He won't be up before eight, for sure." Severo told the two others, "But we have to head back now if I'm going to show you how to get these scales off before breakfast." he said to Drake, and pointed to the dead and half cooked Vepal which he was dragging behind him.

Ellipsis couldn't care less. All he cared about was getting back to camp, and _not_ have anything to do with that foul-smelling dead monster.

Drake snickered about that, though he did not notice just how annoyed Ellipsis looked.

Upon arriving at the camp, Chaucer was, interestingly enough, awake.

_Oh, great..._ Ellipsis thought as they walked back into the camp.

If Severo was worried about the King being angry, he didn't show it.

Chaucer yawned. "You all missed it; a silver dragon nearly crashed into this place. Turned back and headed to Mt. Gulug. It was quit odd..."

"A silver dragon?" Severo asked, interested. They were very, very rare; in fact, he had only ever seen one or two of them, and as far as he knew, they did not typically reside in Mount Gulug. Perhaps after this trip he would go to investigate.

Ellipsis was intrigued too. He had, of course, heard of silver dragons, but he had only ever seen one. He turned to look toward Mount Gulug, but, saw nothing.

"Yes, it was an odd occurrence..." Chaucer shrugged it off, "Where did the three of you run off to so early?"

Ellipsis was about to say that Drake had run off, put himself in danger, used his powers without the proper permission... almost gotten killed. Maybe he could convince the King to keep the boy in his tent for the rest of the trip!

But Severo beat him to it.

"This bugger got pretty close to the camp and woke us all up. We decided to go after it since we were already awake." Severo said with a grin, and dropped the Vepal's tail. "We didn't want to wake you."

Drake was aware that the answer was a lie... but he wasn't going to correct it, so he just nodded, looking at Severo a moment, then back at Chaucer.

"Oh," Chaucer looked at the burn marks. "... It run into the bait fire, too?"

Severo glanced down at it. There wasn't really any other explanation, so he had to go with the truth. "Actually, I thought this would make an excellent specimen for your son's first kill." He answered, with a wide enthusiastic grin then slapped Drake on the back again. "He got it good! You should be proud!"

Any amusement that was in Chaucer's face faded completely as he looked at the dead Vepal. His mind flashed the images Eclipse had secretly given him before they had even left on this trip. If Drake could do this to a monster, what would stop him from doing it to a human? Drake's power had slipped once on this trip and he'd used it three other times without Eclipse seeming to do anything to control him.  
That worried Chaucer.  
"Oh..." Chaucer suddenly found himself very busy with things around camp, they were leaving tomorrow morning, anyway.

--  
Chaucer made breakfast; he took a few strolls... the day was not nearly as eventful as the last. Severo showed Drake some hunting techniques and how to de-scale the Vepal. Ellipsis stayed only close enough to be sure he could hear what was being said... Eclipse would be mad if he didn't. Overall, it was just another cold day.

--  
And as the sun was going down and people were preparing for bed, Chaucer remembered something important. "Oh, Drake!"

Drake looked over at him.

"Happy Birthday," Chaucer gave a half smile.

Drake glared at him a bit. "... Thank you."

Chaucer nodded and went into his tent.

Ellipsis said absolutely nothing and went into his own tent. He was very fatigued; he was not used to so much walking, and he'd never had the chance to get any more sleep. Drake and the king had been nothing but annoying _all_ day. Severo was the only bearable one, and even he was annoying in his own way. _'Think we should head back?' _someone would ask. To which the wolf man would reply; _'No, no, no, I think I smell something this way.'_ or '_You want to give up the trail __**now**__?!'_

He just needed sleep now, and was so relieved once he was inside the semi-warm tent, and could wrap himself in the comfortable blankets, that he was asleep almost instantly. Despite the throbbing pain in his back, and the feeling that his legs would fall off.

Severo was gnawing at the bones of a creature they had killed that was no longer recognizable. It had been a rather long day. Whenever someone had suggested heading back to the camp, he had seen how disappointed Drake looked, so he had kept it going as long as possible. He'd had no idea that it was the boy's birthday though, and an idea began to form in his mind.

--

Drake lay in his tent wide-awake. He liked the hunting part, loved it. No rules, just the primal desire to stalk.  
It just felt... right, to him.  
He had the Vepal scales in a small bag in his larger one... he wondered what other rare tings could be collected—what mysterious treasures did the monsters outside Daguerreo hold?  
Most of the weapons of the world were designed for fake battles, hardly anything was meant to actually kill.  
When the knights of Daguerreo went out to rid the kingdom of the monsters who had come too close, who were a danger to everyone, their finishing blows simply teleported the beast to a different location. What did that solve? The monster would come back and the process would repeat itself.  
If there was a more permanent option, why not take it? The monsters they worried about were not the sacred dragons, though they had to be fought often to keep them from harming people directly around the castle. He could understand not wanting to kill them, but the others? Why not?

Drake sighed as his thoughts continued. They were going home tomorrow. They had accomplished… what? One dead Green Vepal, which gave a bag of scales and more bait.

--

Severo sat up for a while. Gnawing on the bones, waiting until he was sure the King and Ellipsis were asleep. Eventually he heard the king's snores, and was sure Eclipse was asleep by now. That man had looked half dead before he even had dinner.

Then it was time. He set his plate down quietly, and then moved quietly over to Drake's tent. "Lad?" He asked a little above a whisper, his head near the opening and not going inside, just to be polite.

Drake looked, and then crawled over to the tent flap, opening it quickly.  
"Severo?" He whispered. "What is it?"

Severo grinned, wide enough that the moonlight glinted off his huge sharp teeth and he leaned in a little closer.

"How do you feel about a bit of night hunting? A little birthday present from me?" The wolf man asked, but quietly. So as not to wake the ever-watchful Eclipse.

Drake smiled a wide, excited smile and nodded, getting up.

Severo prepared by walking back over to his tent, and picking up his bow, quiver, and an unlit torch, just in case. Then he proceeded to the edge of the camp and gave Drake hand signals to follow. He would stay quiet till he was sure they were out of earshot.

Actually, that was a lie. He would stay quiet nearly the whole time. This was night hunting, after all. But he would at least chance a whisper or two once they were safely away.

Drake ran over, as soundless as a shadow. The further into darkness they went, the more his eyes adapted till they seemed to glow a demonic red.  
He didn't notice it-- never had. Sure, he'd seen that they got brighter at times, but if this was anything but a normal occurrence he wasn't sure.

As of yet, Severo hadn't noticed. He was leading the way, letting his eyes, nose, and ears guide him, looking for any sign of prey...

Drake heard... something. A whooshing, like from the Vepals, but a thicker sound.  
"I hear something," He whispered, "Up ahead."

"Me too..." Severo whispered lightly. Moving even lower, and quieter, Severo approached until he caught sight of the creature. It was a Feather Circle, it glowed slightly with its own body's luminescence, and looked like a shark or stingray with feathered wings and tail. It was hovering over a small pond that was little more than a puddle, but was currently frozen over.

Circling around, he managed to find a vantage point from behind a slight hill.

Drake stopped next to Severo. He looked the Feather circle over. It was larger than most... and wasn't weak to fire.

"Do you want to take it?" Severo whispered to Drake. He wasn't sure if the Feather circle actually had very good hearing, but he didn't want to take his chances.

"I can't." Drake replied, sadly. "I'm getting away with using my fire, but my other powers wouldn't help here either. And my weapons are all at home."

Severo smiled as if he had been expecting this, took his bow off his shoulder and offered it out to Drake. "You may use mine. Do you know what Feather Circles _are_ weak against?" He asked in as quiet a whisper as ever.

Drake was surprised by this. He grinned, taking the bow. "Lightning and wind," he replied.

Severo lowered the quiver to the ground and pulled out two of the arrows. One, the lightning arrow seemed to be arcs of electricity contained by some invisible barrier. It sparked, and the arcs crawled around inside, as if someone had cast Thundaga in there. It was soundless, and the very tip of the arrow seemed to be the source of the arcs, so that it always looked sharp and pointed. The shaft was the same as the shadow arrow, but the flights were dark blue.

The other, the wind arrow, seemed to be a misty substance, like a thick cloud, somehow molded into the shape of an arrowhead. It swirled, and some parts even spiraled like miniature storms inside the arrowhead. The shaft of this arrow was again the same, but the flights were gold, and almost looked like Chocobo feathers, small ones.

He offered them out to Drake. "Which element will you use?" He asked. Either would do, there was no difference in how they would shoot. There was no difference in the damage they would do. They would both kill. This was just to offer the boy an interesting choice.

Or perhaps, it was a question that would give Severo some answer... To a question that he had not shared...

Drake picked the electric arrow. "Thunder," he said.

Severo gave a slight nod, staring at the boy a moment longer than needed, before turning away. His reaction was unclear. If he had been expecting an answer, it was impossible to tell if he had received it. He slid the wind arrow back into the quiver.

"Alright, take careful aim. Try and hit near its… uh... 'head'." He whispered the last piece of advice, before leaving the rest up to Drake.

Drake hooked the nock of the bow into the string. He took hold of the grip with his left arm and pulled the string back till his right fingertips were parallel to his lips. He aimed for the beast's mouth, taking Severo's advice, and let go of the string.  
The arrow took off before Drake had even fully let go, he was shocked at the speed. It zapped through the air as fast as light and stuck it's target before the bow had even unbent from the pull.

Severo laughed when he saw the arrow hit. The monster had not even fully gone down yet, but he knew it was as good as dead. He smacked Drake on the back again. "Bit of a shock, aren't they?" He asked. His voice louder now. They were far from the camp, and anything in the area would have known they were there by now anyway.

The Feather Circle swayed a little, then crash landed into a bank of snow at the edge of the pond.

Drake jumped up, excited about the kill. "Wow! That arrow... WOW!!" He cheered. "That was so cool!"

Severo climbed to his feet more slowly. "That was a nice shot, lad." He complimented, and started down the hill toward the fallen Feather Circle.

Drake ran down, sliding on the ice and sliding to a far from graceful stop by the dead feather circle, the ice crunching slightly.  
He pulled the arrow out, carefully not to break it.

The arrow looked much as it had before it was fired, but like the shadow arrow, the only sign of blood was on the shaft. Strange blue blood, in this case. Severo took it, and wiped off the blood on a cloth, before putting it back in his quiver.

"Feather Circles have these interesting teeth that you might want to take, and these feathers they have glow for almost a year..." Severo told the Prince.

Drake grinned, "Alright." His own glowing eyes glowed brighter with his excitement. Remembering how the Vepal was de-scaled, Drake carefully removed the feathers from the feather circle, though he wasn't sure how to get the teeth.

Severo was strong, but even he wasn't strong enough to tear out the teeth with his bare hands. "We'll need to take it back to the camp and use the tools there to get the teeth," he explained to Drake.

Drake nodded. "Okay," He smiled yet again and turned back toward the camp just as dawn was breaking.

The wolf man put the Feather Circle over his shoulder, and held it by the tail as it if was a sack. It had strange and kind of slippery skin, so it was harder to carry around than the Yan or the Vepal. Perhaps the only benefit was that it was still glowing, and lit up their path the slightest bit.

Drake led the way, mostly. He could see in the dark fairly well, "Thank you for taking me hunting."

"That's quite alright, Lad." Severo replied, "It's a pleasure to go with someone who really enjoys it; unlike your father. He just likes to relax."

"Yeah... I don't know why he even planned this trip," Drake said as they approached the camp.

In the distance, you could make out a boat sailing their way.

Ellipsis was waking up as the boat got closer. There were noises outside his tent. So he got up to investigate. Ellipsis narrowed his eyes until they adjusted to the glare of the snow. Then he noticed the bright blue thing that Severo was pulling the teeth out of...rather gruesomely, in fact.

He had not seen the ship yet. "Where did you get that?" He asked both Drake and Severo.

Chaucer woke up and yawned as he walked out of his tent.

Drake looked at Ellipsis... unable to come up with an answer that wouldn't get him into trouble.

"Oh, this? I went out to do a little night hunting, alone." Severo answered, confidently, not taking his eyes off the mouth of the dead monster that was receiving very unprofessional dental work.

Ellipsis looked dubious, but did not say anything. He couldn't really call the man a liar. Drake was also unharmed, and not wandering off, so there was no reason to make a scene. So he turned around...

That's when he saw it. The ship.

Like a huge cooked meal being slowly delivered to a starving man, Ellipsis felt almost overwhelmed with happiness. He barely managed to stop a smile coming to his face.

The ship docked and the crew immediately went and took down the camp.  
"Ready to leave as soon as you wish, Your Highness." The captain said, giving a slight bow before returning to the ship.  
Chaucer nodded and turned to Severo. "Thank you yet again, Severo. Perhaps you'll come visit the castle some time?"

Drake noticed Ellipsis smile and snickered to himself.

Severo finished filling a little pouch with the teeth, and offered it out to Drake.

"Perhaps," he said to the King. Chaucer offered the chance to visit the palace every time they went hunting, but he had never gone yet. Severo felt as uncomfortable there, as that Eclipse guy did hunting. He doubted he would go.

"Farewell, all of you. Have a safe trip," Severo offered his farewell.

Though Ellipsis didn't acknowledge it, he just boarded the ship. Inside, he was trying to not run, he was so enthusiastic, but on the outside, he looked calm, and made his way casually up the ramp.

Drake looked back at Severo. "You're not going to come visit, are you?" He asked, though he knew the answer.  
"Thanks for showing me how to hunt, I enjoyed it!" He grinned.

"Drake!" Chaucer called. "Come on, we have to go!"

With a sigh and a slight bow, Drake turned and ran to board the ship.

"You're welcome, young prince!" Severo called after him. He never did answer Drake's first question. There really was no need, and while the ship prepared to leave, Severo began to take down his own tent. He had a long hike up to Mount Gulug ahead. He had plenty to think about on the way...  
Chaucer had been so excited when he had found out he was going to be a father... even when he'd told Severo about the strange power his readings had sensed, he had still been happy to know he had a child coming... once the child was born, Severo expected to meet him a lot sooner, but Chaucer always came alone on the few times he did come... When he spoke of the Prince, he never said much.  
Seeing how he treated his son confused Severo. What were they so afraid of?... and what was that strange dream about?

--

**Here we show more information on how perceptive Severo actually is. His tribe is a very noble race. They know the old magicks and they respect those abilities. Severo is an outcast from his tribe. A trouble maker as a child and a loner as an adult, he second guesses the ways of his tribe even though it could have revealed the truth.**

Severo is Robin's character, but a wonderful addition to the story in what he represents. Lone wolves rarely happen in nature because wolves are pack animals by heart, they have great trouble surviving on their own. The same can be said for humans. Our instincts are to group together because... well, we're pathetic! We have no natural weapons, really. Our fingernails break easily and can only really be used as a defense against other humans and small animals. Our balance is terrible; our speed is laughable for our size. Alone, we'd be very low on the food chain.

However, there are human loners. Some who prefer to be alone most of the time, as I do, and those who are social outcasts and have no choice but to be alone.

However, there is a third group there. A group with a mental state often altered from the time they are very young. These people cannot see things the way others do-- their minds actually cannot understand normal social behavior. These people often turn into serial kills or abusers.

So that bring up another argument. When you go against nature and instinct, what can happen?

Now, there are many instances in the Nature of Nurture argument that stay being homosexual is against nature and instinct... however, just as wires can be crossed to make a person autistic, violent, whatever... the same can happen with gender preference. Many males are born with so many female hormones that they really are girls with male parts. It's been proven over and over, and often forcing individuals who are born this way can lead them to suicide and self-loathing.

Choice VS Nature is a huge thing. What can it lead to?


	8. Chapter 7: Wings of Hope

… **So, I noticed, ff dot net seems to like to re-name my chapters XD so chapter 6 becomes chapter 7 when they send out the emails. I hope this isn't confusing anyone! We have a prologue, and ff is counting it as chapter 1.**

**This is:**

**Chapter 7: **_**Wings of Hope.**_

_**--**_

Drake was tired, having been awake all night, and the gentle sway of the boat was too much for him. Not half an hour after they had departed he retreated into the cabin and slept the rest of the trip.  
Drake didn't wake up, not once, until the ship was safely harbored.  
The sound of movement and shouts woke him up.

Chaucer swiftly returned to his duties and Drake collected his new treasures. The scales, the feathers, and the teeth. Happily, he walked back to the tower.

Ellipsis had followed after Drake. This was not the part he had been looking forward to. Eclipse would not be happy that he had failed to fool the boy. Once he could no longer put it off, he knocked, and went into Eclipse's rooms...

--

About twenty minutes later, Eclipse, the _real_ Eclipse, left his room and went up to Drake's rooms. He knocked on the door, and waited for an answer.

Drake lay on his bed toying with one of the feathers. "You may enter!" He called, rather than getting up

Eclipse walked in, closing the door carefully behind him as he entered. "Drake," he said simply as he proceeded into the bedroom. It was obvious he expected his attention, but his face held no obvious emotion.

Drake glanced at him over the feather he still held for a second, before placing the feather back in the bag with the rest of them. "Yes?"

"Ellipsis tells me that you discovered him on the little trip," Eclipse said. "That's a pretty impressive observation," he added the small compliment. Perhaps how aware Drake was concerned him a little bit, but he didn't show it if it did.

Drake smiled at the complement. "Yes, but it took a while."

Eclipse nodded slightly. "And then after you found out it was him, you would not follow his instructions?" He asked, though it was really a question he already knew the answer to. He just wanted the boy to admit it.

Drake's smile faded. "Well... he didn't tell me to do much..."

"That's not the point. I expect you to behave yourself even when I'm not around." Eclipse started, "So that I don't have to watch you _every minute of every day_." His tone showed perhaps the smallest hint of anger. A very bad sign...

"I... you don't need to... I didn't. Nothing bad happened." Drake reasoned, nervously.

"This time," Eclipse said shortly and turned away for a moment. There was a pause before he turned back and spoke again. "Obviously I have been too lenient with you," he said. "I will have to be stricter if you are going to learn to obey the rules."

He reached a hand inside the bag on the bed and pulled out one of the glowing feathers. He twirled it in his fingers for a moment, and then ran his thumb along it. The feather in his hand darkened, and shriveled slightly, like a dead leaf. All the energy and magic from it, gone.  
The ones inside the bag would do the same. Drake would never be able to complain that Eclipse had done it. It was unlikely the King or Queen knew that shouldn't happen naturally. And if they did, they would probably assume it was the heat.

"There will be no rewards for breaking the rules." The pale man warned; his tone deep, "And you will be grounded for the next three days." He said, and started to walk out.

"............ WHAT!?" Drake roared. "I didn't do anything wrong! You were the one who decided not to come! I didn't even tell my father that he'd been lied to, I didn't let my fires get out of hand, and I even checked with Ellipsis before starting a few!"

Eclipse stopped, but didn't turn around. "That's why it's not a week," he said and then continued walking to the door.

Drake growled a deep, animal sound. His eyes darkened much like the feather had, and his teeth grew to fangs.  
The primal fire within him burned dangerously close to the breaking point and he wanted to lash out.  
Drake stopped himself from the attack. The effort it took surprised and even worried him a bit.  
The simple shock was probably the only thing that kept him from doing anything.

Eclipse wasn't being fair, he had ruined the glow of the Feather Circle's feathers, but... he was still Drake's advisor, and a sentient being rather than a mindless beast.  
Drake couldn't attack another person...  
So he stayed there, laying on his bed, and accepted his fate.

_For three days..._

_--_

Eclipse spent the three days assessing and repairing the damage done by the trip. He reprimanded Ellipsis for failing to go undetected, and letting the secret out. He made sure the king thought that he had been there the whole time. In the spare time, made sure Drake didn't try to get out.

--

Midnight on the third night, Drake was on his way to the main castle. It had been three miserable days without him hardly being able to go out on his balcony without being ordered back inside! But now three days had, technically, passed and Drake was eager to get outside.  
He was much more careful, this time. Over the years, he'd learned stealth, but he still wasn't perfect at it. He could get past the guards successfully over half the time.  
He just had to make it down the hall…

Eclipse was waiting for him, he knew the boy too well after all the years. In fact, you could set a clock by his attempts to get out. He was there, waiting, right behind a door...

Drake was happy when he made it to the end of the archway. He had only to open the door to be in the main palace, and from there he could go anywhere he wished. He wasn't thinking about anything else when he kicked open the door with all his might.

With near impossible, for a human, speed. Eclipse's hand shot up to catch the door as it flung open. Drake would not have been able to see it, just that the door seemed to stop after flying open fast after only half a foot. Then it started to open again, but painfully slowly this time...

Drake had learned a lot. One of those things was that speed was great but distraction was wonderful.

In the pitch darkness, right after he'd kicked the door open, he'd pounced through it without a sound before it had been caught. Only then did he turn back.  
He thought he saw someone...

_Ah... Ellipsis has decided to take guard of this door?_

Drake held up one hand and lit a small, illuminating fire.

--

He smirked a mocking, victorious, 'haha, I made it past you' grin for about half a second... and then he realized his mistake.

_Nope... that's Eclipse..._

"Good morning, Drake." Eclipse said in a voice that was anything except civil.

Drake's smirk was gone completely, he closed his hand, stopping the fire and throwing the world back into darkness as if he could black out the situation and hope it had never happened.

_You cannot see me, thus I am not here... I hope…_

"Another three days." Eclipse said, and pointed back down the hall toward Drake's rooms. "And don't kick doors," he added.

There was no sign that he was angry; but he was not pleased, and that was perhaps just as bad.

"But it's been three days! I waited three days! I want to go outside!" Drake grumbled.

"Not until you learn to _ask_ before leaving." Eclipse informed, his tone making it clear he was not open to argument, even if Drake seemed to want to give it.

"Fine. _May_ I go outside?" Drake glared.

"If you had asked before you tried to go, then I might have said yes. But now... ask me again in three days." Eclipse said, and narrowed his eyes slightly, almost daring Drake to argue more.

Drake was not happy about that... but resigned. He didn't want to make it six days, so he reluctantly walked back to his room.

--

**3 Days Later**

**--**

Drake ran to Eclipse's room. He'd seen a bird outside... an odd one, and wanted to go outside to see what it was and what it was doing.  
"Eclipse!" He shouted urgently, but happily as he knocked on the door.

In no hurry whatsoever, Eclipse walked to the door and opened it. "Yes?" He asked, seeing Drake there, but not seeming concerned in the slightest.

"It's been three days. May I go outside now?" Drake asked with a smile, remembering he'd been told to ask.

Eclipse looked to the clock on the shelf not far from the door. It was twenty to twelve.

"No," he answered simply after looking back to the Prince.

Drake's smile held, half way, but was no longer a happy expression. "... Why not?"

Eclipse stared at him for a moment, with an _'I need to give you a reason?'_ sort of look. Obviously, Drake's lack of blind obedience was disappointing to Eclipse. But in the end, he decided to give him a reason.

"It's too late," he said. "You should be in bed."

Drake was mad about that, but he took his anger and buried it in a look of disappointment.  
He stood in silence for a moment, looking at the floor.  
"...Alright. I guess you're right... Tomorrow, then?"

"Perhaps." Eclipse said in a bored tone, already starting to close the door on Drake.

Drake sighed and headed to his room. He grumbled as he dropped down onto his bed and shut his eyes.

--

**Forty minutes past Midnight**

--

_He won't let me leave…_ Drake told himself, silently.  
He found reason to have his thoughts guarded. He wasn't sure how or why, but he'd become used to the idea that his very thoughts might have an audience, so he did his best to block his mind.

_It is, technically, tomorrow. And if I ask, he'll say no. But that bird is still there and I want to see it._ He was thinking about this as he stood on his balcony, rope in hand.  
_This is the only way_  
The idea of jumping off his balcony didn't thrill him... but the hallway would be guarded...  
So he leaned forward and hoped the rope would hold.

Eclipse was sitting...listening. If he knew Drake at all, he knew he would not follow instructions, and try to get out anyway. Nevertheless, for a boy as talented as Drake, there was more than one way out of the tower, and Eclipse was not fond of patrolling the corridors anyway.

That's when he heard it. A faint slap, as if something had hit stone. It might have been a footstep, but it had come from outside... and that's what concerned Eclipse. So he headed out on the balcony...

He looked around, and found there was a long length of rope down the wall to the left of his balcony. Looking up, he saw that it had been tied to Drake's balcony. Looking down, he saw something on the end of the rope, quite far down.

Eclipse reached over and took a hold of the rope, then he pulled it up quickly. It was much too light to be Drake, but he was curious, so he pulled it all the way up. In the end, he pulled the thing at the end of the rope onto his balcony. It was Drake's cloak, attached to a large green stuffed dragon toy.

"What the...?" Eclipse muttered to himself as it all began to sink in.

--

Drake ran down the hall faster than ever.  
He slid through the double door and bolted through the castle, to the public library... and out the front door.

"Yes!" He cheered victoriously.

Drake calmly walked out into the open field. Ah! Freedom did feel good!  
He spotted the bird and found... it was much smaller than he'd thought.  
It was brown, white, and black, and had horn like ears and big, giant eyes. It also didn't seem to be able to fly. It would hop and let out a sharp cry, then flap one wing.  
Drake walked over and picked it up, carefully. Its left wing had some of the feathers scorched off of it, probably why it wasn't able to fly.

"Hm..." Looking the bird over, Drake remembered having seen a picture of one in a book. "A Bengal Eagle Owl. All the way out here?"  
It wouldn't survive long, not with all the monsters out here... unless... he kept it.

--

Eclipse knew that Drake had already got out. The boy was more resourceful than he gave him credit for, and it was a mistake he did not intend to repeat. He was _not _going to go out running after the little brat, but he _would_ be punished for this. In the mean time, he just remained in his room. The boy had to come back eventually, after all.

--

Drake returned later that day, with the owl. He stopped in the public library and snatched up as many books on owls as he could find and then retreated to a room adjoined to his own.  
The playroom now held his weapons as well as many of his toys, but it also had a cabinet with a wicker door that was empty except for a few spare toys.  
Drake emptied out the toys and shoved in a long wooden pole. It took a lot of pushing, but the pole eventually fit horizontally. It would be the owl's perch. A makeshift birdcage.  
Once he knew the owl was safe, Drake returned to his bedroom and started reading.

Eclipse came in a few minutes later, without knocking. He nonchalantly surveyed the injured owl in the wicker-door cabinet, before heading into the bedroom without saying a word.

Drake didn't even look up, he just kept reading. He had noticed Eclipse had come through the playroom doors rather than through the hall door... so he'd have seen the owl... but Drake wasn't too worried about that.  
He'd always wanted a pet.

"Where did that bird come from?" Eclipse asked; his tone was flat, and unfeeling. Even more so than usual.

"Outside." Drake replied, his voice mimicking Eclipse's calm drone of a tone. "Though, they're normally found on the forgotten continent..."  
Then Drake looked up at his advisor. "And it's a Bengal Eagle Owl, not a '_bird_'."

If it was anyone other than Eclipse, they would have showed their anger, but instead, he didn't seem to react at all. From appearance, you wouldn't know he had heard Drake's words, but when he spoke, it was obvious he had.

"I'm sure it will be a lot more injured if you speak back to me again," Eclipse said, his voice quiet, and then once he was finished, he went silent again. Letting his words sink in.

In eight years, Drake had learned a lot. Mostly that Eclipse never joked, not about anything. When he said something like that, it wasn't to be taken half-heartedly. It was serious.  
Drake realized he was in trouble, and would've preferred to keep the owl out of the mess. Therefore, he instead silently put the book down, showing Eclipse that he now had Drake's full attention.

"You deliberately disobeyed me." Eclipse said, once the book had been put down. He turned to face Drake again. His eyes even colder than normal, if that was possible, "Right after I told you not to go."

_Well..._ Drake thought to himself. _Not __**right**__ after... I waited sixty minutes._

"... Yes..." Drake replied, quietly admitting it.

Eclipse decided to try a different approach. "Do you want to keep that..._owl_?" He asked. He nearly said bird again, but decided against it. The emphasis he put on the word 'owl' was with more emotion than was commonly heard in Eclipse's words. It was coated in warning, and unspoken threats.

Drake was cautious on how to answer that. "Yes, I do..." he replied softly.

The owl was hurt, small, young and Drake felt a connection with it— something he couldn't describe.

"I will let you keep it, then. Until next time you decide to disobey me." Eclipse warned; he would let the boy have this distraction. It might help keep him out of his hair, a bit, and give him more leverage over the boy's obedience.

... That was a much better turn out than Drake expected. "... Alright." He replied, simply.

"It will give you something to do for the next three months." Eclipse said, staring at Drake in the eye. "Because for the next three months, you will _not_ leave this tower. I assure you."

He had decided it was time to use another way of stopping him from leaving.

Drake's jaw about hit the floor on that one.  
_Three... three months!?_ He could hardly stand six days, how would he handle three months?  
His mind raced to a thousand different things. He could sneak out? But he kept being caught and then Eclipse might kill the owl. He could argue... but that never worked. Maybe if he behaved for a few days... maybe even a full week, maybe Eclipse wouldn't be as watchful.

It took Drake a long, long while, but he finally replied. "... Alright..."

He did, however, plan to argue about this later— when the owl was better.

"Good." Eclipse said simply, and then closed his eyes for a minute, setting up his new punishment in the boy's mind. Now, if Drake tried to leave the tower, he would get a headache. A headache, which would get worse with each step he took.

When he was done, he opened his eyes. The boy should have felt nothing, but a little dizziness was possible.

Drake felt nothing— at least nothing he noticed. He wondered why Eclipse closed his eyes… but after Eclipse left, Drake forgot about it and went back to reading.

Over the few next weeks, Drake behaved himself. He spent much of the time either practicing his magick with Eclipse, or reading about and taking care of the owl. Its feathers were already growing back, and it could glide a short distance.

Drake ran out of owl books, then out of any bird of prey, or raptor, specific books. Thus, he found a new category; something called Falconry.  
His selection on the subject was limited, though... he had enough to get interested, begin training, but nothing else.  
Therefore, he decided to get some new material.

--

**Midnight.**

--

It always had been midnight; it would always be midnight. Hardly one month had passed, so there was no way possible that he could justify this, even to himself, but he wanted the books.  
Drake walked silently down the towers steps and to the bridged archway. The moment he stepped onto it he felt... dizzy. His head felt numb, but he figured it was just nerves— him being anxious about breaking the rules.  
As he took another step, the pain increased a bit, but he ignored it, put it off as anxiety.

He hurried down the hall but had to stop halfway. His head was killing him. What was going on? He moved forward, the pain grew more intense, but when he accidentally stumbled back a step... the pain decreased.  
One step forward forced him to take five or six back. Then he just backed up until he was back in the tower.  
Where the pain stopped.

_Alright... that was an odd event..._ Drake thought, but then rushed forward again.

And was, again, forced to return.  
He was about to try for a third attempt, when he figured out what was going on.

Eclipse was powerful. That fact was not hidden from him— especially not in his practices. Eclipse hadn't told Drake not to _try_ to get out, he had said he _would not_ get out.

These headaches were assurances.  
So now he stood there... looking down the hall.  
In theory, if he were fast enough, he could run, grab a book, and return... but by the same theory his head might explode in the process... the pain wasn't _that_ bad... but it was bad enough that he wasn't going to try.

Drake snarled at the hall as the full understanding reached him.

Eclipse watched from the shadows in a window above as the whole scene took place. After the embarrassment of being fooled, seeing the boy confused and in pain as he tried to escape was a pleasant sight. '_That will teach you._' He thought to himself with a small smile.

Drake suddenly turned and stomped away. He wasn't interested in just giving up, he was very interested in finding out what was going on. Instantly, the idea of finding Eclipse took over all other though and he marching over to his advisor, his eyes demanding an explanation.

"You tried to get out again." Eclipse said, with the faintest of smiles.

Drake stared at Eclipse angrily. "... I wanted a book."

"You could have, of course, asked for me to get it for you, or for me to escort you to the library." Eclipse answered back, the smile still there.

This was all too fun. Turning around the boy's accusations, perhaps he would even lash out? It was so amusing, after having to put up with the boy defying him for so long.

For a few moments, Drake wanted a fight… but what chances did he have? Sure, in practice his power had proven itself strong, but... Eclipse was more aware of the situation. Eclipse had powers that had been practiced for eons.  
Drake's powers... they were a mystery.  
If he actually did manage to hurt Eclipse... then who would he have?

Drake gave up any argument he had. "... I just wanted a book." He repeated, "I thought you'd be asleep by now."

Eclipse's smile slowly dissolved. "So, would you like to go to the library now?" He asked. It was impossible to tell if he was trying to tease the boy, or if he was serious.

Drake looked back at Eclipse a moment, unsure on if this was a trick question. Slowly, he nodded.

Eclipse was feeling a little generous, so he said, "Alright," and started to walk down the hallway. Besides, this was also a perfect opportunity for Drake to see how easily he could put the barrier up, or down.

Once they reached the bridged archway, Eclipse closed his eyes for a minute, and deactivated the barrier spell. The barrier was actually two spells that worked together. A spell that would give the boy a headache, and a spell that worked as a perimeter. As long as the prince stayed inside the set area, he would be fine, but once he passed the barrier, the headache spell would start to work, and would get worse the further from the barrier it was taken.  
The advantage of this being, it couldn't be seen, but worked just as well as a steel chain. It left no physical injuries, and the King and Queen could never prove it was Eclipse's doing.

Drake stopped just outside of the archway. He had stopped being trusting when he was five years old, this was no different. He had angered Eclipse, how could he be sure this wasn't a trick to cause him pain?

"It's okay." Eclipse promised as he passed the archway and after a moment, he stopped, turned around, and added, "Have I ever lied to you?"

Drake thought about that a moment... he couldn't remember a time when Eclipse had lied, but strange, almost frightening images flashed through his mind. They were forgotten as fast as they had appeared…

Drake hesitantly stepped forward and followed Eclipse to the library.

"See? I told you." Eclipse said as they passed through the doors to the library. Luckily, the lights were always kept burning. It was still rather dark, however. So Eclipse lit a hand held lantern that was on a hook next to the door.

Drake nodded once and took off into the library, already knowing what section he needed to go to. His eyes glowed in the darkness as he scanned the bookshelves.  
He found the falconry books and selected the best few— the ones that would help him the most.

Eclipse came to find him a few minutes later. He had a couple of books under his arm, but the titles were not visible. The pale man stared at Drake for a moment. "Get what you need?" He asked, starting to eye the books on falconry.

Drake checked over the book once more, and then nodded. "Yes, I do."

Eclipse had not anticipated that Drake would develop an interest in birds and falconry just from keeping that one owl. But he supposed it was a fairly harmless hobby, as far as his little ideas went.

"I didn't know you had an interest in falconry," Eclipse observed as he started to lead the way out.

"Newly acquired… It's interesting. Training raptors to respond to commands." Drake said, "It's almost like giving yourself wings."

"I suppose so," Eclipse replied.

He found Drake's wish for wings rather interesting, and wondered if it was a symptom of the change. The part of him that was now dragon, wanting its wings back...

Drake nodded and flipped though the books again, making sure they were what he wanted and then he looked back at Eclipse. "Thank you, for letting me come here."

"You're welcome," he told the boy. "See? I'm not so unreasonable." He added as an afterthought, and started towards the door, extinguishing the lantern on the way.

Drake followed Eclipse back to the tower.

--

As the three months passed, Drake learned to behave better. He was also too busy with the owl to complain. He had named her Vanda, meaning The Wanderer. Because that's what she had done to end up so far from home, and what he had been doing when he found her.  
However, when asked he just said he liked the name.

Once allowed out of the tower, Drake took Vanda with him to the public library.  
She willingly let him take her wherever he wished, since he was the one who fed her.  
Vanda had a fancy ankle collar and a creance line that went from her collar to Drake's hand, keeping her from flying off should she ever feel the need.  
Drake often would take her outside and use a leash and a lure to try and get her to fly. She was beginning to do quite well, but always came back to him.

One day, Drake overheard a conversation between two men who had noticed his practices with the owl on their way inside the library.  
They were falconers, and impressed at how well he was doing without training.  
Drake bargained for their help. He would allow them into one of the castles libraries that were normally not for the public, if they would train him on how to train raptors.

--

It took about a year before he had it perfected, and the falconers had only stayed for a month, teaching him everything he needed to know and leaving the practice up to him. It had taken a year, but he was able to have Vanda catch her own food and still return to him, or catch something small like a baby Mu, and return the body to him. A short time for most, but he spent his every free moment with it, so to him it seemed to take forever.

His playroom had morphed into a hunter's storage room. His bows, whips, shields, gauntlets, all rested in there. He also had a very nice keep for the birds built after he caught Luna, a peregrine falcon who had tried to fly at night and escape Vanda.

Yet another year passed and Drake had gotten much better at sneaking off. When he was punished, he'd still try and leave at midnight, but mostly he'd just pick a day, pick a bird, and… wander off.

On occasion, his father would ask him where he was going, but Drake knew Chaucer only half listened to the answers.  
It was slightly surprising, but Chaucer didn't like Drake leaving Daguerreo, nor did Marina.  
Drake found that ironic.  
They ignored him unless there was a social gathering where his presence was needed, if someone asked about him, if it was one of the rare occasions where they wanted him to have supper with them, or if he went hunting outside of Daguerreo.

It was annoying, but it didn't stop him from leaving.  
He was ten years old, independent, and he had a talent for hunting. Nothing in the world was going to keep him from it.

Eclipse had been against Drake's hunting for a long while. Eventually, after he had seen Drake disobey the rules to get what he wanted with the falconers, he knew the boy was getting smarter, starting to work behind the royals backs. He knew that he couldn't expect him to obey without some kind of distraction. Some kind of leverage.

Besides, Drake's powers needed practice. There was only so much he could teach him in the palace. Drake needed to learn to use his powers in new situations, hone them, and learn to use them to _kill_.  
Drake's powers would be useless to Eclipse if he wasn't able to kill. He was still young, but the change had not toughened him as much as Eclipse had hoped. He was still too kind hearted. Still too... human.

Each day that he hunted, and Eclipse 'allowed' him to think he had escaped undetected, Drake's skill increased, and he became more distanced from the King and Queen.

The drawback to all of this was that he was still far away. Out of his control. Eclipse didn't like that. He also didn't like that all of Drake's birds pecked and snapped at him whenever he was near them…

The answer was obvious. A bird that would follow Eclipse's _and_ Drake's commands. One that was spelled, so that Eclipse would always know where it, and Drake, were. One that was trained to perfection, and be able to report back to Eclipse if something happened. The perfect spy, the perfect security measure. on top of that, no more robes with holes pecked in them!

So, Eclipse had started work to find that bird.

--

Drake walked inside from a busy day at hunting. He had taken Luna, but she was hardly his first choice. Luna's speed was useful, but her small size made it hard for her to catch anything other than baby pythons and doves. Vanda was good for the slightly bigger things, being an owl, but she wasn't perfect at it yet... He had looked into trying for a hawk, but he preferred the falcons, over all.

At the opposite set of palace gates, Eclipse was meeting with a traveler. A kind of delivery man for the people he had been doing business with for the past several months. Now he had a cylindrical container in his right hand. It was covered with a black cloth, but it was in the shape of a birdcage.

The contents of the container remained a mystery to any guards that might have wondered, as he carried it to his room. He had toyed with the thought of taking it straight to Drake, but he really wanted to 'test' it first.

He placed it on a table in his room, and he locked the door, in case Ellipsis decided to burst in as he sometimes did. Only then did he uncover it.

Inside, the bird blinked slightly at the light, and turned its head, looking around. It didn't make a sound, but did flutter its wings as if it was anxious to fly. A single white feather with a few black spots on it floated to the bottom of the cage.

The bird was a Gyrfalcon, it was white, almost silver in color, mostly, the tips of its wings were black, with thin lines of white, almost like a seashell, and the rest was white, but with little black spots. The pattern was even, and not random. It covered the whole wingspan, across its back, and down the back of its neck. The spots tapered out, so that the top of the head was the same pure white-silver as its underside, and tail feathers.

It did not react to him the same way Drake's birds did, and as he opened the cage, it obediently hopped onto his forearm. The talons were harsher on the material than he would like, but it couldn't be helped. He was just grateful it wasn't trying to peck his face off.

Eclipse spent a few minutes testing some commands on the bird, and was pleased to see it followed them all well. He also found that the spell that allowed him to know where the bird was, worked well too. When he was close enough, he could even close his eyes, and despite seeing nothing at all, he was able to see the bird's silver outline. It looked like a ghost flying around in pitch darkness, and he could even see it from behind walls this way.

Drake would never know that, though.

Eclipse put the bird back in the cage, covered it again, and unlocked the door…

--

Drake was headed down the hall, trying to ignore his father who was trying to follow him, opening the door to the tower.  
Chaucer was lecturing him about something... oh yeah; he'd 'neglected' to show up for supper again…  
"I ate while I was out." He told his father, still walking.

"That wasn't the point, Dracula Dragomir!"

_Oh, he is mad indeed. First __**and**__ last name._ Drake rolled his eyes. "And what is the point?"

"You were supposed to dine with your mother and I; we had agreed on this already!" Chaucer said.

"Yes, that. I meant what's the point in that." Drake pet Vanda's head, the poor owl didn't like the loud man following them.

"What do you mean 'what's the point'? Your mother and I want to see you—."

"Occasionally," Drake finished.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chaucer followed him still, but his guards stayed back a long ways, not wanting to interfere and not liking going into that tower.

"It means what it means." Drake explained as he made his way up the stairs quickly, "You only want to see me when it's convenient for you."

"I'm a very busy man—!"

"Exactly, so you'll be able to find something else to do rather than bother me." Drake stated, as he stepped into his 'playroom' and slammed the door.

Chaucer glared at the door, but... What could he do? If he angered Drake, things blew up; people might get hurt, eventually... but mostly, any punishment Chaucer gave, Drake ignored— went to Eclipse and told him about it and was pardoned for the event.

It was getting more and more apparent... Chaucer could see his son, but he was losing him... and by now, he had no idea how to fix the situation.

Drake loved falconry... Chaucer thought about maybe buying him a hawk... that might work… it would at least be a start.

Eclipse had heard the argument as it passed his door. He also had the advantage of being able to read the king's thoughts once he'd had the door shut in his face. He was thinking of getting Drake a new birdy, and Eclipse had beaten him to it. Completely by coincidence too! How perfect! The poor fellow had no chance, and he was beginning to realize it. It was safe now to let the king know the truth— the truth that he did not have a son. Eclipse did. Prince Drake was Eclipse's property and that was that, Chaucer could understand that now that Drake was defiant enough to ignore the man.

_Good._ Eclipse thought, and was in a genuine good mood as he waited for the King to head back down the tower.

Chaucer stared at the door for a while longer, as if hoping it would open.  
His father would have pounded till the door broke down... but his father wouldn't have lost control so easily.  
Chaucer sighed. The problem wasn't Drake— that was obvious... maybe the problem was himself? Maybe Chaucer was an awful father and that's what had gone wrong, because Drake had been so energetic, so eager to please, so... normal. He'd had a good start with awful parents and didn't stand a chance...

Chaucer retreated to the main palace, out of the unwelcome territory.

Eclipse smiled, he hadn't even had to _give_ the king any thoughts. He had gone and given it up, all by himself. The pale figure was pleased with himself, and he hadn't even scored the points with Drake for being a 'Better than my Dad' figure, yet.

Speaking, or rather thinking of which, he opened the door, carried the cage up to Drake's room and knocked.

Drake took a moment to be sure it was Eclipse before he called, "Enter!" and put Vanda back into her section of the keep.

Eclipse opened the door with his free hand, and came in. The Gyrfalcon inside was silent again, so Eclipse thought it best to say something.

"I got you a surprise," he said. It was a foreign term to his mouth, but it was a tried and true one, so he was happy with it. There was even a hint of emotion in his voice. He was pleased, after all.

Drake turned and looked at Eclipse, then his eyes went straight for the black cloth covering the cage and a grin came to his face. "Oh?" He asked excitedly.

"Here," Eclipse said and offered out the cage and the large handle at the top to Drake. He still had the small smile.

Drake took the handle and set the cage on a small end table. He pulled off the black cloth to reveal the magnificent falcon.  
"A Gyr!" He exclaimed, happily. "It's beautiful!"

"I'm glad that you like it," Eclipse said, for a lack of anything better to say. "It's also been very well trained," he assured the boy.

Drake knelt down by the cage, looking in at the magnificent falcon.

"Hello... Celestina."

"Picked a name already?" Eclipse asked, perhaps a little surprised.

He hadn't considered asking the trainers if the bird had a name. He hadn't even been sure the bird was female. He made a mental note to read up on the subject. He didn't like to be caught not knowing something.

Drake pried the cage open and the falcon hopped onto his gauntlet. Drake didn't need to speak out loud to the birds anymore, it was more of a mutual understanding. He held a connection with the raptors that was unmatched by even the best animal communicators.  
He didn't name her, the name simply came to him when he looked at her. Her black eyes reflected his red ones... and a name whispered into his mind.  
She wasn't full grown, that's what he first noticed. He also noticed that the spots on her wings looked like gray moons.  
"How did you get her?" Drake asked, figuring Eclipse's question was answered already.

"Just from some old friends that are trainers," Eclipse said dismissively. He didn't really want to answer too many questions about them. Answers would lead to more questions, and he didn't want that.

"I didn't know you knew falconers." Drake said, simply.  
He was going to ask more, but just the excitement of having the Gyr kept him quit, focusing simply on the raptor.  
"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, _**my**__ prince_." Eclipse said, the emphasis on the last two words was barely noticeable, and if anyone did notice, they would just assume it was Eclipse's happiness over Drake liking the present. Rather than the underlying meaning that only Eclipse knew.

The present delivered, he turned to leave. The other birds seemed to be eyeing him up, as if planning some sort of attack.

**--**

**Finally Drake has his birdies! I know they're just a side note in OMWF, but in TRLF his pets play a much larger role. Vanda is his favorite, of course.**

Why the pets? Symbolism. Every freiking thing in this story is symbolism!

In many cultures, animals are worshiped as Gods, in others they are the reincarnation of people. In most, animals have an "Other Sight". They are able to see things in both the living and dead world— able to see ghosts and demons. They say wounded animals and/or animals that are lost will come to those who share that connection.

The birds also L-O-A-T-H Eclipse. ;) What's that say about him?


End file.
